Vale: Martin St. James

Australian hypnotist and entertainer Martin St James, best known for TV specials and live stage shows, has died aged 80.

A statement on his Facebook page said he died yesterday on the Gold Coast from a massive stroke and had been battling Alzheimer’s disease.

His website said that for over 50 years St James had hypnotised more than 1.5 million people, sometimes up to 40 at a time.

St James was born in Western Australia and joined a circus in the 1950s, before TV and stage shows.

In the 1960s he appeared in US including The Merv Griffith Show whilst before he produced Spellbound in Australia and the UK. In 1980 he appeared on the BBC’s Christmas special for the Michael Parkinson show.

In that same year St James was arrested by Victorian police after a performance at Festival Hall and charged with breaching the Psychological Practices Act by performing hypnosis in a public place without a permit.

He was found guilty and fined $200.

In the 1970s, St James performed in England and Germany, also producing his Spellbound program for broadcaster ITV in the UK.

He also toured Japan, Hong Kong and Asia, returning to Australia in 1994 to make three 30-minute TV specials that featured six live performances recorded over 24 hours.

But there were also controversies surrounding his hypnotism, banned by the BBC, disallowed from performing in Victoria, South Australia or Tasmania and being arrested for demonstration of hypnosis without a licence.

St James later established a hypnosis centre on the Gold Coast in 2004 and pioneered hypnosis for health.

Source: ABC