David Blaine confirms details of ‘highly intimidating’ final-ever stunt
He wants to go out with a bang.
David Blaine has revealed the exact moment he plans to retire from stunts – and it’s after he pulls off a ‘highly intimidating’ one.
The magician, 51, is famed for his death-defying performance tricks including trapping himself in a block of ice for two days and holding his breath for more than 17 minutes.
However, Blaine has said he will bow out after turning 52 in April, the same age his main inspiration Harry Houdini died from swelling of the abdomen in 1926.
The endurance performer also said he has been ‘diligently’ working on his final-ever stunt which he teased was the ‘culmination’ of his previous projects.
Blaine spoke about his last performance when asked if he ever felt fear by Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson on their podcast Where Everybody Knows You Name.
He replied: ‘There’s one that I’m highly intimidated by but I’m working diligently on putting it together. It’ll be my final thing. [It’s] secretive.’
Over the years, he has tackled death-defying stunts including freezing himself in a block of ice (Picture: Chris Hondros/Newsmakers)To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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Previous Page Next Page‘There’s one that’s a culmination of everything I’ve ever done that I’m obsessed with but it’s a pretty over-the-top ambitious idea so I’m trying to put it together and it will be my last one before I move on to card tricks.’
Blaine also explained the reasoning behind his decision to take a step back from performing major stunts in the next year to concentrate on magic tricks.
He said: ‘Harry Houdini who has always been my favourite and my big inspiration died when he was 52.
‘He kept pushing his body but stayed very fit. He was rock solid.
David also fasted as he lived in a perspex box above the River Thames for days on end (Picture: Tim Whitby/WireImage)‘He had done the water tank and collapsed on stage because he didn’t want to disappoint the audience even though he had severe stomach pains and he was rushed to hospital and died.’
Blaine continued: ‘I’ve always thought 52 should be the mark – you don’t want to push until you break.
‘I have a few more years of pushing and then I’m going to shift to what people like to see me do more which is magic and bringing that to kids in hospitals which I love doing, you get the best reactions.
‘I love pushing myself but I don’t want to push myself to the point where you actually break.’
In one of Blaine’s most recent stunts in 2023, he jumped from scaffolding during the opening night of his David Blaine: In Spades tour in Las Vegas.
David said he wanted to focus more on ‘card tricks’ (Picture: Taylor Hill/WireImage)He plummeted nine storeys to land into a pile of cardboard boxes on stage but dislocated his shoulder on impact.
Several crew members rushed to his aid but they were unable to pop his dislocated shoulder back into place so instead he pleaded for help from audience members.
Five medics then offered their expertise and, in footage shared by Blaine himself, were seen taking turns trying to manipulate the magician’s shoulder back into place as he lay on the floor, all in full view of the audience.
‘Wow that hurt!’ Blaine captioned his Instagram post.
He added: ‘I was a little off-target… Luckily 5 orthopaedic surgeons in the house.’
Remarkably, not only were they able to relocate his shoulder, but Blaine went on and performed the entire show as planned.
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