Magician and actor Ricky Jay, of 'Boogie Nights,' dies at 72

NEW YORK (AP) — A magician who consulted on films and acted in "Boogie Nights" has died. Ricky Jay was 72.

Hollywood manager Winston Simone says Jay died of natural causes at his Los Angeles home.

Jay portrayed a cameraman in "Boogie Nights" and appeared in several other films including "Magnolia" and "Tomorrow Never Dies." He consulted on "Ocean's Thirteen" and "Forrest Gump" and acted in "Deadwood" and other television series.

Jay was fond of stories about oddball characters, gamblers and con men in history, and he wrote several books. One was the artistry of Matthias Buchinger, an 18th-century German magician born without legs and hands.

Buchinger artifacts collected by Jay were featured in a 2015 exhibit at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Survivors include Jay's wife, Chrisann Verges.