Jason Scott died unexpectedly at his Las Vegas home on July 15, 2008. He was 33. “I got started in magic just as a little kid wanting to freak people out,” Jason once told an interviewer. And that he did. His kindergarten teacher complained to his parents that Jason was freaking out his classmates by moving some crayons around on his desk — seemingly by the power of his mind. Jason was given his first magic set at age seven and thereafter constantly nagged his parents to take him to a local restaurant where a magician went from table to table performing close-up magic. A bout with mononucleosis in high school confined him to bed for several months. During that time, Jason perfected his sleight of hand skills and dreamed of bigger things to come. Jason regularly freaked out his family and friends not only with his magic, but also with his thrill-seeking spirit of adventure. He was not only an avid practitioner of Gracie jiu jutsu, but also into quad motocross, scuba diving, skydiving and firewalking. However, his greatest adventure began when he moved to Las Vegas at age 21. In a town with magicians on nearly every corner of The Strip, Jason carved out a unique niche in Vegas by performing his mind-bending effects at Club Paradise, one of Sin City’s famous topless nightclubs. With the arrival of the new millennium, Jason moved to The Strip to begin what would become a six-year engagement at The House of Blues Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. But, the best was yet to come – an extended engagement at The Playboy Club at The Palms Las Vegas. Whether Jason was performing at Club Paradise, The Foundation Room or The Playboy Club, the clubs’ managers always called upon him to provide private entertainment for VIP guests. Soon, A-list celebrities became Jason’s elite groupies. He was invited to perform twice at Hefner’s Hollywood mansion and 944 magazine soon dubbed Jason, “The Mentalist to The Stars.” His collection of celebrity admirers is a “Who’s Who” of show business, including Drew Barrymore, Stephen Baldwin, Jimmy Buffet, Drew Carey, Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Melissa Etheridge, Jermaine Dupri, Cuba Gooding Jr., Don Henley, Paris Hilton, Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Edward Norton, Dennis Rodman, David Silvera, David Spade, Keifer Sutherland and Rob Zombie — to name just a few! Jason and his carry-on bag of unusual props became well known to TSA officials at McCarran International Airport as he traveled throughout North America to entertain at celebrity birthday parties for Boston Celtics co-captain Paul Pierce, music legend Sting and renowned director Steven Spielberg, plus private events for such diverse clients as Anheuser-Busch, The Fiesta Bowl and the Texas Bankers Association. In 2006-2007, he performed on the national “Magic, Mayhem & Martini Tour” appearing with Michael Godard, the rock star of the art world. At the time of his death, Jason was working with Las Vegas-based Sun Media Productions on a television series entitled “Beyond with Jason Scott.” He was also preparing to entertain several thousand Harley-Davidson franchise owners that next week at The House of Blues in Las Vegas. Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Christopher Lawrence described Jason’s act as “a little bit scary.” And while Brad Pitt said, “This guy has some serious talent,” Kevin Costner added, “People like this cannot exist.” Jason’s response was always, “You might find this disturbing, but it’s all right.” “Check this out,” Jason would always say as he revealed our inner most thoughts, bent our coins and keys, pulled thread out of his neck, shattered our wine glasses and freaked us out with just a simple deck of cards — all seemingly by the power of his mind. “Yeah, it’s the real deal,” he would wryly remark while flashing his trademark smile. In a TV interview, Jason said, “I learned magic to get inside people’s minds.” That he did and more. He got into not only the minds of his audiences, but also the hearts and minds of those who knew him. Like all seasoned entertainers, Jason knew that one of the cardinal rules of show business is “always leave them wanting more.” And now, he has done just that. Poof, he’s gone—except in our hearts and minds where Jason always will be on stage.

Jason Scott's family has requested that donations in his memory may be made to: Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas P.O. Box 26689, Las Vegas, NV 89126

Updated 7-21-08

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