Juan Tamariz Has Passed

 

Juan Tamariz, born Juan Tamariz-Martel Negron was born October 18th, 1942 in Madrid Spain.  He was a pioneer of card magic and magic technique. Known as The Maestro by those who followed his teachings, he truly revolutionized card magic. 

I first saw Juan Tamariz at the World Magic Summit in Washington DC. He did the Friday Night stage show by himself and brought the house down. I knew little about him before he walked out. But he began to do things that defied explanation. He did a lot of card magic on stage, but he had a way of projecting what was happening that it worked for the large crowd.

Then came his iconic appearance on The Worlds Greatest Magic TV Special where he did magic with a tiny car. Hilarious, zany, and mysterious. I'm sure a ton of lil cars were sold after that and I must admit to never seeing anyone do that routine. Maybe it was one of those things that only Juan could pull off.

In Spain, Juan was a household name, not just among magicians, but the public as well. He had countless TV appearances, but also his own TV shows. He was a household name in Spain. 

Juan was also a teacher. He taught many of the top Spanish magicians, which is probably why whenever a Spanish magician comes on Penn & Teller Fool Us, they're ready to hand over the trophy even before they start their routines. Just brilliant thinking, subtlety and strong magic.

He also authored many books, among them Verbal Magic, Sonata, The 5 Points of Magic, The Magic Way, The Magic Rainbow, Letters From Juan and probably some I missed. Personally, I couldn't have made it through the pandemic and all my virtual shows without Juan's book Verbal Magic. 

Juan Tamariz passed away August 18th, 2026. I will at some point do a more detailed biography and likely a podcast on Juan. Until then, my condolences to his many friends and family members and those who truly adored his special brand of magic!