Comedy hypnotist Frank Santos dies

Frank Santos, a longtime Rhode Island R-rated comedy hypnotist and comedian has died after suffering an apparent heart attack, NBC 10 reported Tuesday. He was 60.

Santos had been mesmerizing audiences for more than 20 years.

“I’ve seen it. There’s no way people would do the things he would make them do unless they were hypnotized,“ said Rhode Island comedian Charlie Hall.

Related Link: Frank Santos Web site

Santos drew crowds on the local comedy circuit. From New Hampshire to Lincoln, R.I., he was a New England favorite. Hall said he opened for Santos hundreds of times over the years.

“He was unlike any headliner you ever saw—no ego. So friendly, he would give you the shirt off his back,“ Hall said.

Hall remembers Santos’ early days in Providence.

“He started at Periwinkles, a small little comedy club in the Arcade. We booked him on Sunday nights. So many people packed the place that we’d also book him on Wednesday nights,“ Hall said.

Hall said the genius of Frank Santos was that he wasn’t the star, the participants from his audience were the stars.

“How much would you pay to see a bodybuilder from Johnston come out of the men’s room wearing nothing but pantyhose? You can’t pay for this, but they did pay for this,“ Hall said.