Sad News to Report
Farewell Khun Michel
A BRIEF TRIBUTE TO MICHEL W. POTTS
(1946 - 2024)
Word came in late March from Michel W. Potts' wife Prattana in Thailand that he had passed away in February due to a complication during a surgical procedure. Michel was 77 years of age. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Michel in person or watching him perform, nearly a decade of email correspondence and collaboration on the publication of ten volumes of his material, made me feel as though I did. I am sure those who know his work will feel like they knew him as well.
As I have written before, Michel was more than a mere close-up magician or cardman. He was a storyteller who used a deck of cards to engage his audiences as he took them on a magical journey, at the end of which, they were both entertained and thoroughly deceived. Michel was a genuine pro who honed his craft and material through countless performances and challenges, including the language barriers that come with the territory when you're an American expat magician working the tourist restaurants and pubs in Bangkok.
Magic was one of Michel's first pursuits after college and his encore career after working in journalism and movies. During the late 1980s and early 90s, Michel wrote six scripts that were made into movies, including the one he was proudest of, "Schweitzer" - an action-adventure film on the fascinating life of Albert Schweitzer starring Malcolm McDowell and Susan Strasberg (daughter of the famous acting coach, Lee Strasberg). In 2009, Michel moved to Bangkok, where he met the love of his life, Prattana, and embraced his "second act" as the Great Bangkok Magician, Khun Michel - the only foreign magician in Bangkok to earn such respect. Farewell magic friend, although our hearts ache, your legacy lives on, and we know as Prattana does, you are "very happy now, somewhere in the sky."
- Patrick
