What magician drowned during a trick?

Houdini died in 1926 of a burst appendix. Rumors that he died of drowning were incorrect. Many times people feared he had drowned due to the intense drama of his water cabinet trick where he was chained and handcuffed in a water tank.

In July of 1984 magician Jeff Hopper of Michigan drowned in Winona Lake, Indiana while rehearsing an underwater chain escape (New York Times, 7/8/84).