Harry Lorayne, a memory expert who appeared two dozen times on Johnny Carson’s edition of The Tonight Show, died Friday at the age of 96 in Newburyport, Massachusetts. His publicist gave no reason and confirmed the death.
Lorayne had the uncanny ability to remember almost anything. He could tell you the names of dozens of people he’d just met, recall small-town phone books, and recall specific pages of magazines. He enhanced this talent with magic tricks, including sleight of hand, which were considered world class.
In his heyday in the 1960s, Lorayne worked for television, theater, trade shows and corporate training seminars, and ran a memory school in New York. He was also a prolific author of memory training books.
Survivors include a son, Robert, and a granddaughter. His wife and frequent stage assistant Renée Lorraine Lefkowitz died in 2014.