From the July 4th article "Canadian broadcasting legend Patrick Watson dead at 92" by Jackson Weaver at CBC News:
Watson was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1981, and later promoted to Companion in 2001 for promoting "excellence in Canadian television and radio." He was also a longtime disability advocate after his leg was amputated below the knee in 1960, and served as honorary chair of the Canadian Amputee Sports Association and chairman emeritus of the Canadian Abilities Foundation.
He later became an accomplished pilot, wind-surfer, water-skiier, scuba diver and magician; he had a lifelong love for the craft, and was one of three founding members of Magicana, a Canadian not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study of magic as a performing art.
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From the July 4th Instagram post by Magicana:
With a heavy heart, we report that Magicana’s Chairman Emeritus, Patrick Watson, passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 4, 2022, during his stay at his country home in Ontario. He was 92.
Patrick had a lifelong love for magic, having become smitten with the craft as a child after seeing Johnny Giordmaine demonstrate his wares behind the counter at Eaton’s department store. Patrick’s influence in the magic community extended to co-writing and directing several productions with David Ben, including The Conjuror, to commissioning and narrating documentaries about legendary Canadian magicians Dai Vernon and Stewart James; and to interviewing Johnny Thompson and Charles Reynolds about their lives and work in magic at Magicana’s 31 Faces North conferences.
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