16/10/2026
The Harrogate Society of Magicians were sad to hear the news today that our previous member Rex Stott died peacefully yesterday, Thursday 15th October.
All of our members will remember Rex fondly, even though he was only part of the society for a couple of years. From his incredible knowledge of magic to his infectious smile and humour, Rex always brought his genuine and straightforward Yorkshire self along to every HSM meeting and consistently entertained and inspired everyone in the room.
From being a 'Fool Us' judge to presenting his lecture 'My Kind of Magic', Rex was always up for anything magic related and generously shared his expertise and experience, including many stories from his early childhood experiences of visiting magic shops and learning his first tricks. His ability to craft a story around any magic trick and bring in personal elements (often featuring his grandchildren) was fantastic and always a joy to watch and listen to.
We were gutted that his health prevented him from joining us on stage in 2024 at the Frazer Theatre, however we were blessed to have him attend many of the rehearsals and benefit from his experience and desire to help us all improve our acts and presentation.
The stick with the 'orse's 'ead 'andle that Rex is pictured with is a reminder of his incredible ability to learn a long script or poem off by heart, in this case the classic poem The Lion and Albert by Marriott Edgar (https://allpoetry.com/The-Lion-and-Albert), which was also incredible to witness.
Rex will be greatly missed by all who had the privilege to know him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time. His funeral will be held at Stonefall Crematorium Harrogate on 6th November at 1 pm for those that wish to attend.
