(Historic) Joe Nickell
March 6, 2025
Joe Nickell, the award-winning investigator and longtime Skeptical Inquirer columnist, died this week at the age of eighty. In addition to decades spent investigating historical, paranormal, and forensic mysteries and hoaxes, Nickell was a prolific author whose work was frequently cited in news reports and documentaries. All of us at the Center for Inquiry are saddened at the sudden loss of our long-time colleague.
“Joe Nickell was an icon and hero within the skeptical community,” said Barry Karr, the executive director of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI). “Joe was a hands-on investigator who could be found aboard the Queen Mary looking for alleged ghosts, or in a farmer’s field investigating crop circles, or roaming the shores of Loch Ness looking for Nessie, or touring China studying traditional Chinese medicine and examining the claims of Qigong masters. This barely scratches the surface.
“Joe was a true polymath who often left you in awe of his depth of knowledge in, it seemed, a limitless number of subjects. He was a walking and talking encyclopedia with a never-ending curiosity to know even more and bring on the next mystery!” Karr said. “What a tremendous loss. He can never be replaced.”
Nickell wrote his first article for Skeptical Inquirer magazine in 1983. He was elected as a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry in 1988 and became a member of CSI’s Executive Council in 1993. Nickell was named a CSI senior research fellow in 1995, the same year he began writing his “Investigative Files” column for Skeptical Inquirer. Nickell was known for many years as “the world’s only full-time professional paranormal investigator.”
Kenny Biddle, who now serves as chief investigator for CSI, said, “Joe went from being a mentor, to a colleague, and eventually to a friend. The knowledge he shared with me was not only invaluable but certainly had a part in shaping how I approach investigating paranormal claims. I will miss his visits and stories but will never forget the knowledge he passed on to me. Thank you, Joe.”
Nickell was born on December 1, 1944, in West Liberty, Kentucky. His long and varied career included work as “a stage magician, carnival pitchman, private detective, blackjack dealer, riverboat manager, university instructor, author, and paranormal investigator.” Over the course of more than fifty years, Nickell authored dozens of books on topics ranging from investigating ghosts and cryptids to authenticating historical documents and examining ancient religious artifacts. Nickell and his work were honored with numerous awards, including CSI’s Distinguished Skeptic award in 2000 and the Robert P. Balles Prize in Critical Thinking in 2012.
“Joe was an institution at the Center for Inquiry, and his investigations into paranormal claims were often groundbreaking,” said CFI President and CEO Robyn Blumner. “Joe’s contributions to the field of skepticism were known and admired around the world. He challenged fraudsters, con men, medical quacks, and the credulous in a way that will not soon be forgotten.”
