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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hypnotist dies after fall from balcony

Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia – U.S. stage hypnotist Scott Lewis has plunged to his death from the balcony of a Sydney apartment, Australian police said today.

Lewis, 50, was in Sydney performing his hypnosis act along with six other performers in the show “The Illusionists 2.0,” which opened at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday last week.

A police spokeswoman said officers were called to an apartment building Saturday morning to find his body lying on a balcony.

Media reports said Lewis had fallen from an 11th floor balcony to the fourth floor. Lewis was staying with other performers at the building, which is a short drive from the opera house.

The spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing police policy, said investigators had ruled out any suspicious circumstances.

Police had yet to determine whether Lewis’s fall was the result of “misadventure or self-harm,” she said.

Co-producer Tim Lawson said the show would continue.

Lewis’s website said he had the distinction of having “the longest-running family-friendly comedy hypnosis show in Las Vegas history.”

He appeared at Las Vegas’ Riviera Hotel and Casino for nine years.