Sword Swallower Famed For LES Performances Dies

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — Johnny Fox, the sword swallower famed for his Lower East Side performance, died at age 64 this week.

The cause was liver cancer, his friend Marc Hartzmann told the New York Times.

Fox was famous for his sword-swallowing abilities, which he regularly performed between 1999 and 2005 in his museum the Freakatorium, El Museo Loco. He was also a regular at the Coney Island Side Show in Brooklyn.

Fox opened the Freakatorium on Clinton Street to display a collection of more than 1,000 bizarre and freakish objects, which he'd collected throughout his career performing in circuses and side shows. The museum, which closed in 2005, included displays like a two-headed turtle, Tom Thumb's vest and a 4,000-year-old Egyptian mummy, the Village Voice reported at the time.

Fox ran the museum as a labor of love, making no money and supporting the museum through funds he made through his performances. In 2005, the Lower East Side rent had become too much for the small museum, which charged just $5 for admission, Fox told the New York Times at the time.

"People say: 'Don't close. We love you,"' Fox said to Times. "It's great to hear that, but do you want to pay the bills?"

The rent had increased to $2,400 a month by the time Fox closed in 2005, more than double what it was when he opened in 1999, according to the Times.

Fox started his career by training himself to create his own magic and comedy act, before eventually graduating to sword swallowing. He was also known for his performance at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, where was a regular for 37 years.

This year, the festival renamed its main stage as the "Royal Fox Theatre" in honor of their longtime performer.

Image credit: Peter Macdiarmid / Staff / Getty Images News