I'm not sure if Johnny Thompson (aka "The Great Tomsoni") was the most beloved figure in the magic community or the most knowledgeable but he was at least one of those. A most respected performer, much of his career in recent years had been consulting with Penn & Teller and serving as one of the judges on their show, Penn & Teller Fool Us. If the program was a contest to see if anyone could fool Johnny, no one would ever win.
I was honored to see him perform on several occasions and to talk with him about his art 'n' craft. There are magicians who are very skilled at trickery and there are those who are very funny in performance. Johnny was one of those rare ones who was both…and an absolute joy to meet.