Criss Angel Will Return to the Stage One Night After Being Hospitalized After Stunt Gone Wrong
Criss Angel is on the road to recovery after a scary incident during Friday night's Mindfreak Live! performance.
The 49-year-old magician was promptly rushed to the hospital after losing consciousness while attempting an upside down straightjacket escape.
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Ryan Perez, an audience member at Friday night's show at the Luxor in Las Vegas, recalled the experience, telling ET that Angel "was perfectly normal" before attempting the trick.
“He did one of his trademark tricks in which he’s suspended from the ceiling and he has to escape a strait jacket. They reeled him up with his feet facing the ceiling and his head facing the stage and as he was going up they set a timer for thirty seconds and he was supposed to wiggle out of the straitjacket before the timer ended," Perez explained. "So he’s wiggling, he’s turning super-fast in midair trying to get out of it and about when there was five seconds left suddenly he just stops wiggling. He’s still going in a circle because he had been doing that before but he just kind of went limp."
"The timer then reached zero and there was a bunch of confusion as to what was happening and he was lowered down to the stage," Perez explained. "Then the crew and cast from the show got a stole and they untied him and brought him off stage. Then the house lights came up it was announced there was going to be an intermission. It was just dead silent."
"About five to 10 minutes later there was another announcement saying that the show had been cancelled," he said. "There were rumors going around. Some people said he hurt his shoulder, some people said it was a technical difficulty but as soon as the announcement came there was silence. Some people began asking for refunds while others were concerned for Criss. It was shock. That was the main feeling in the room.”
WATCH: Criss Angel's 2-Year-Old Son Is in Remission: 'I Believe He Will Be Healed'
Angel's rep tells ET that despite the incident, Angel will be back on the stage for his Saturday night performance but it's unclear if he will attempt to do the straightjacket stunt.
"Criss Angel routinely performs some of the world’s most dangerous illusions and escapes live on stage. During Friday evening’s performance, while attempting his famed upside down straitjacket escape while suspended by his feet, he lost consciousness. He was lowered to the stage and rushed to the hospital where he was evaluated and released early this morning," the rep said. "He is undergoing additional testing today and while it is not yet certain, it is his hope to return to the stage in his hit show MINDFREAK® LIVE! at Luxor Las Vegas tonight."
"He is grateful for the outpouring of love and concern from his fans around the world," the rep added. "Due to Friday’s events, Criss and his son Johnny Crisstopher were unable to attend a previously scheduled appearance at a fundraiser for Make‐A‐Wish of Southern Nevada Saturday morning. In his absence, a representative of HELP, the non‐profit Criss created to find a cure for pediatric cancer, presented Make‐A‐Wish with a $100,000 donation."
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Reporting by Brendon Geoffrion.
ET caught up with Angel in October, where he opened up about another frightening experience while meeting with Paris Jackson.
"We went and took a little journey," he recalled. "I didn't know where it was gonna go and she got legitimately completely freaked out. I kind of got inside her mind, and she saw death in me. She completely lost her mind."