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Larry Singer, 89, was a jokester, magician, and businessman

Mr. Singer took care of his family and kept them laughing. He overcome a debilitating stutter through magic lessons as a teen and went on to become a self-made man.

Mr. Singer performed card tricks as part of his act as the Great Lorenzo.
Mr. Singer performed card tricks as part of his act as the Great Lorenzo.Read moreCourtesy of the Singer Family
  • Larry Singer
  • 89 years old
  • Lived in Media
  • He provided for his family and kept them smiling

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Even now, Larry Singer has them laughing.

Who could forget all those birthday party performances of the Great Lorenzo, magician par excellence, the delight of decades of Singer offspring and grandkids alike?

What about all those hilarious signs touting bogus events he posted in the Margate, N.J., condo building in which he and wife Pearl lived?

And then, legendary in the Singer family, was his gig in one of those “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” TV ads, in which a woman who neglected to wear her medical alert device spectacularly falls down a flight of stairs. Mr. Singer was the ominous voice-over and the on-screen doctor who somberly shakes his head. The Singer kids swore Dad was hiding — not too well — a sly smile.

“Everyone thinks they broke the mold with Larry Singer,” said daughter Marjorie Singer Robinson. “He was really funny.”

Mr. Singer died at Bryn Mawr Hospital on Monday, May 11, a few months short of his 90th birthday, of complication of the coronavirus.

Raised in South Philadelphia amid modest means, Mr. Singer overcame a debilitating stutter through magic lessons as a teen and went on to become a self-made man who provided well for his wife and four daughters. He worked in advertising and marketing, and had his own company, Learning Discoveries.

A natural showman, Mr. Singer entertained his fellow troops while in the Army with his magic and marionette act, did community and regional theater, and performed commercial voice-overs with his robust voice. He was also an extra in several movies, including Rocky II and Blowout.

Sometimes, when he had to work late, his family would wait for him at their Merion dinner table and clap when he arrived.

“He loved the applause,” said daughter Jamie.

In 2014, Mr. Singer and his wife, whom he met on a blind date and wed in 1956, moved to Wesley Enhanced Living Main Line in Media.

“They were definitely the ‘It’ couple,” Robinson said. “Very social.”

Mrs. Singer died in 2018. In their younger years, they traveled the world together.

In addition to his daughters, Mr. Singer is survived by daughters Jennifer and Audrey, and five grandchildren.

Services will be private.

— Rita Giordano, rgiordano@inquirer.com