Robert Maroney Willard, who performed as the second Willard the Wizard, died by suicide in 1914. He was part of the famous Texas Willard family of magicians and the older brother of Harry Willard.
Robert had a brief, tragic life beset by mental illness. He murdered his wife and child, explaining he’d seen “the devil” in his wife’s eyes. While in a Cincinnati jail awaiting trial, Willard climbed to the top of a courtyard staircase and jumped four floors to his death. He was 37 years old.
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