# James Randi died at 92 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [October 21, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539 "2020-10-21T22:15:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/1 "2020-10-21T22:15:45Z")
I’m sure he has a lot of fans here > **[James Randi, Magician and Paranormal Debunker, Dies at 92](https://www.thewrap.com/james-randi-magician-and-paranormal-debunker-dies-at-92/)** > > Illusionist known as "The Amazing Randi" also founded Committee for Skeptical Inquiry ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/2 "2020-10-21T22:22:58Z")
Very sad news. His lectures, his books, his exposes of all the fakers out there-he was a positive force in the world. I wonder how long it will take for one of the many frauds he exposed over the years try to claim they predicted his death? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/3 "2020-10-21T22:24:43Z")
I called it. Where’s my prize money? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/4 "2020-10-21T22:26:59Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I called it. > > Where’s my prize money? - Someone’s going to have to go back and get a whole shitload of dimes. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/5 "2020-10-21T22:29:11Z")
I met him a long time ago at Delicious Orchards. He was a very nice guy from my brief meeting. He lived a few towns over from where I grew up. I love the fact that he encouraged us to look upon charlatans for what they were. (I moved this to the Cafe from MPSIMS) ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/6 "2020-10-21T22:30:30Z")
Yeah he changed my life when I was just a kid. I’m glad he got to live so long and he seemed to live so honestly even when it made life harder for him. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/7 "2020-10-21T22:49:05Z")
The Abe Vigoda of the Illusionist set. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/8 "2020-10-21T23:31:59Z")
Damn. I grew up watching him first as a magician and escape artist on **Wonderara**. In those days he still had a Mephistophelean black goatee. I next encountered him as the author of _The Magic of Uri Geller_, a book i re-read frequently. By now, he was white haired with a big bushy white beard. Shortly afterwards I encountered him as a member of CSICOP, a contributor to Skeptical Inquirer, and author of _Film Flam!_ Ever since, I’ve caught him in The Skeptic, his website, his famous challenge, and in general skeptical events. A fascinating guy. I knew he was getting on in years, but he seemed capable of going on forever. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/9 "2020-10-21T23:32:28Z")
1.) Darn. 2.) Moving to CS was a bad call. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/10 "2020-10-21T23:38:30Z")
I like to think he’s looking down on us right now and… Kidding, this really hit me. He taught me to think critically. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/11 "2020-10-21T23:42:00Z")
I admired him greatly, both for his intelligent skepticism, and his engaging personality. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/12 "2020-10-21T23:43:23Z")
> [ > Penn Jillette @pennjillette](https://twitter.com/pennjillette)[3h](https://twitter.com/pennjillette/status/1319014935544750080) > Goodbye to the truly Amazing James Randi, our inspiration, mentor and dear friend. We will love you forever. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/13 "2020-10-21T23:45:39Z")
Dude had a good run and I appreciate him going after those flim flam artists who preyed on others. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/14 "2020-10-21T23:55:10Z")
I have been a fairly confirmed skeptic since I was about 20, when the more I read about UFOs or Bigfoot, the less convinced I became there was any substance to it. I then discovered the group of scientists, magicians, and sci-fi authors, Randi amongst them, who regularly shot down all the pseudo-scientific nonsense. Then I had my own experience that felt supernatural to me, which I couldn’t explain (an apparent shared dream) and emailed James Randi about it. Though he had no time for my nonsense, I nonetheless got a personal response from him. Terse in nature, but clear where I should look for explanation, that direct genuine response from the man himself was a new experience for me, which I have never forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/15 "2020-10-21T23:55:12Z")
Sad to see, but he had a good run. I went to a few [TAMs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Meeting) and he was always an engaging presence. He played no small part in my skeptical mindset. There was something special about his simple methods of exposing charlatans. Although it makes sense in retrospect, it is counter-intuitive that magicians are the people best equipped for detecting and exposing frauds, even more so than scientists. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/16 "2020-10-21T23:55:27Z")
I’m sorry that he’s gone. He did a lot of good in this superstition-ridden world. (In re the venue for this thread: though I guess he did do a fair amount of entertaining in his day, I’m skeptical (!) that he will be remembered _primarily_ as an entertainer.) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/17 "2020-10-22T02:06:03Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I called it. > > Where’s my prize money? I guess that depends on how you knew it? (I think the esteemed late Randi would’ve appreciated that comment.) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/18 "2020-10-22T02:18:36Z")
I saw him give a lecture a few years ago. He signed a role playing book for me. The page he signed was about Randi “The Amazing” James, who debunked phony psychics and trained the real ones to fight evil. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/19 "2020-10-22T02:25:46Z")
I met him on several occasions. He autographed one of his books for me at the 2006 TAM, and I interviewed for the position of executive director of JREF. (I didn’t get the job.) A great man who did good work. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539/20 "2020-10-22T02:29:34Z")
Saddened to hear this. An amazing guy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-randi-died-at-92/923539.md?page=2)