Farewell, Old Friend
First, my apologies for being so long between posts. I've gotten sidetracked from the world of magicians by a focus on my own performances and marketing to the public. That's no excuse for neglecting my contacts in the magic community, though, and I'm reminded of that fact by some sad news that I received on Wednesday evening.
I just heard that one of my closest and dearest friends, Andrew Dakota, passed away this week. Though I hadn't seen him in quite some time, since we lived so far apart, I did speak to him on the phone a few weeks ago. Though he'd been struggling with some rather severe health issues for quite some time, he was, as always, very positive and upbeat.
For those of you who knew Andrew, I'm sure you will agree that he was not only a brilliant and exceptionally creative magical artist, but also one of the kindest and most generous of persons. Andrew was what I like to call a "wise soul". He had tremendous compassion and deep insights into what it means to be an honorable, conscientious, and caring human being.
Known in the international magic community as a prolific inventor, Andrew loved exploring a truly artistic approach to magic. We had frequent in depth conversations not only about performing and creativity in magic, but about life, spirituality, and the nature of reality. He was a deep thinker and a true philosopher, not just in the academic sense (though he was certainly highly intelligent and could hold his own with even the most intellectual of conversationalists), but even more in the deeper sense of having a profound, intuitive sense of wisdom about how things are and how life should be lived.
We were kindred spirits in so many different ways, and he had a profound impact on my life, as well as on that of my wife, Kathi, and on our relationship. He was a true friend to us in the deepest sense of the word, and we will miss him greatly. Wherever you are, Andrew, I know you'll be giving us all a knowing wink and a warm smile... until we meet again... Farewell, my friend.
Andrew Dakota
I just heard that one of my closest and dearest friends, Andrew Dakota, passed away this week. Though I hadn't seen him in quite some time, since we lived so far apart, I did speak to him on the phone a few weeks ago. Though he'd been struggling with some rather severe health issues for quite some time, he was, as always, very positive and upbeat.
For those of you who knew Andrew, I'm sure you will agree that he was not only a brilliant and exceptionally creative magical artist, but also one of the kindest and most generous of persons. Andrew was what I like to call a "wise soul". He had tremendous compassion and deep insights into what it means to be an honorable, conscientious, and caring human being.
Known in the international magic community as a prolific inventor, Andrew loved exploring a truly artistic approach to magic. We had frequent in depth conversations not only about performing and creativity in magic, but about life, spirituality, and the nature of reality. He was a deep thinker and a true philosopher, not just in the academic sense (though he was certainly highly intelligent and could hold his own with even the most intellectual of conversationalists), but even more in the deeper sense of having a profound, intuitive sense of wisdom about how things are and how life should be lived.
We were kindred spirits in so many different ways, and he had a profound impact on my life, as well as on that of my wife, Kathi, and on our relationship. He was a true friend to us in the deepest sense of the word, and we will miss him greatly. Wherever you are, Andrew, I know you'll be giving us all a knowing wink and a warm smile... until we meet again... Farewell, my friend.
Andrew Dakota
(born Mark Andrew Diekman)
April 5, 1955 - December 1, 2014
Labels: andrew dakota
posted by Mitch Williams at
2:35 PM
