Is Tom Mullica still alive?

Deceased (1948–2016)
Tom Mullica/Living or Deceased

What happened to the smoking magician?

Death. On February 15, 2016, Mullica was placed in an induced coma following complications stemming from a routine hernia operation, which caused him to have several strokes. He subsequently suffered from organ and liver failure.

Why is one cigarette upside down?

Some swear that this tradition comes from the Vietnam War. By this point, filtered cigarettes were becoming the norm, so you could only smoke ’em one way. Instead of flipping every cigarette on end, troops would invert a single one and, just as before, if you lived long enough to smoke it, you were a lucky joe.

Who is the smoking magician?

Tom Mullica

Tom Mullica
Died	February 18, 2016 (aged 67) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Magician, comedian, ventriloquist, mime artist, actor, clown
Years active	1970–2016

What happened to Tom Mullica?

Tom Mullica passed away only three days ago on Feb. 18, 2016. He had gone in for a hernia operation and had complications with internal bleeding. This is a huge loss to the magic fraternity. He was super talented, creative, hysterical, and one of the best Bar Magicians ever.

Can Tom teach me how to perform the Tom Sawyer routine?

Tom does not teach the routine on any of his DVDs, and no magician worthy of the title will tell you the method. Although magicians have a code that dictates “no telling anyone how it’s done,” the truth is that magicians share their secrets all the time.

Is the cigarette-eating routine taught on the show?

While the cigarette-eating routine is not taught on the set, if you were to purchase these DVDs, study them, and master them, I daresay you would have enough knowledge under your belt to construct a similar routine. I’m guessing, though, that you’re less interested in actually performing such a routine than you are in just knowing how it’s done.