David was a fantastic magician and a brilliant brother
Tributes to Paisley’s popular magic man
A Paisley magician – who once planned to make a lion disappear and caught bullets in his teeth – has passed away aged 89.
David Haggarty spent seven decades casting a spell on audiences with his death defying array of stunts and tricks.
He first picked up his magic wand back in the 1950s and went on to pull off an astonishing catalogue of shows to rival the biggest names in the business.
The magical Buddie once rigged up a 22-foot rocket and planned to launch it from Abbotsinch Airport, only for Paisley’s justice system to ground his ambitious plans.
He fell foul of the authorities again two years later, in 1961, when JPs outlawed his attempts to make a lion disappear in the Templar’s Hall in Neilston Road.
But the showman, who performed under the stage name, Prince Rajah, was a also a master at close up manipulation, winning several awards.
His brother Alistair, 70, paid tribute to his skills as a performer and as an older sibling.
He said: “David was a brilliant brother.
“He was one of the best known magicians in the country.
“He was friends with the likes of Tommy Cooper and Paul Daniels, he dined with them in Blackpool.
“We were all on the stage from when we were very young.”
David’s manipulation skills saw him winning the Scottish Conjurers’ Shield three times in the 50s and 60s.
In 1958, he also became the only Scot to win the World International Brotherhood of Magicians Dittia Shield.
The same year, he first performed what would become his favourite trick – catching a bullet in his teeth.
He previously told the Paisley Daily Express: “Somebody told me I wouldn’t be able to catch a bullet in my teeth and I said ‘Of course I could.’
“I got six different colours of paint for model-making and would ask someone to paint their initials on the bullet in a colour of their choice to prove it was the same bullet.”
He went on to star in Scottish Television’s Stars in Your Eyes in the early 60s, had a role in the original Para Handy, and regularly performed up to 50 seven-minute shows during the Paisley Fair in partnership with Coco the Clown.
David, who lived in the town’s East End and worked at Rolls Royce, had a number of assistants during his long career but worked with Margaret MacLean for more than 50 years.
He is survived by brothers Alistair and Billy, 92.
His funeral will take place at Woodside Crematorium, Paisley, tomorrow afternoon.