Magician Criss Angel's toddler son Johnny diagnosed with cancer
Magician Criss Angel has cancelled his performances of his Cirque du Soleil show “Believe” at the Luxor, Las Vegas through Nov. 1 after his 20-month-old son was diagnosed with cancer. He flew to Australia to be with with little one, Johnny Crisstopher Sarantakos.
“For many years, Criss has championed and raised money for various children’s charities here in Las Vegas, but he never thought it would hit this close to home,” said one of his Cirque colleagues to E! Online. “This is a very personal family crisis.”
The website also quoted his colleague as saying that Criss had never missed a show in more than 3,000 performances at Luxor.
This is also the first time that the 47-year-old illusionist has confirmed publicly that he has a son. The magician posted an intimate picture with his son on Twitter. His fans poured in their best wishes and prayers from across the globe, leading Criss to express his gratitude.
“Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. Criss,” he wrote on Twitter.
The illusionist first hinted about the news on Twitter on Friday. “In light of a family emergency the news I was going to announce this weekend will be postponed. Thank you xc,” he wrote at that time.
Johnny was reportedly diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a cancer that starts from white blood cells called lymphocytes. It is the least common type of leukemia, mostly detected in adults. Without treatment, it can be fatal within a few months. However, the good news is that “younger patients tend to have a better outlook”.
According to E! Online, Criss secretly married Johnny’s mother (whose name is not revealed at this time) more than a year ago, but they broke up some time back. Criss, whose real name is Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos, was recently in the news for his rumoured romance with former “Fantasy” topless dancer Chloe Crawford, after she separated from her husband, magician Murray Sawchuck.
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