By David Cain
The juggling community has lost one of its best known stars, Michael Chirrick, following a recent diagnosis of cancer. Michael was born into perhaps juggling’s most prominent family. His mother, Lottie Brunn, was acclaimed as the fastest female juggler of her time, known for her exceptional speed and precision. His uncle, Francis Brunn, was also a legendary figure in the juggling world. Together, Lottie and Francis were discovered in Spain by John Ringling in 1947 and brought to the United States, where they achieved international fame . Michael’s father, Ted Chirrick, was a circus ringmaster, further immersing Michael in the performing arts from an early age.
Michael Chirrick was born in Los Angeles in 1951. His mother, Lottie, a dedicated performer, was rehearsing up until the night before his birth. With his parents often on tour, Michael lived for a time with his father’s family, later moving to New York when his mother’s family settled there. Lottie and Ted eventually moved nearby to New Jersey. Michael frequently traveled with them, attending kindergarten on the road.
By 1959, Michael lived with his grandparents in a large Bronx apartment and visited his parents on weekends and summers. In 1967, he was sent to Germany where his mother was working with a circus. There, he became serious about juggling, practicing constantly with encouragement but no pressure from his family. Upon returning to the U.S., Michael continued practicing, even rehearsing in motels while traveling. His mother and uncle Francis offered guidance, focusing mostly on refining his body positioning rather than formal coaching.
Michael practicing under his mother’s watchful eye
Later, Michael stayed with Francis during a Puerto Rico engagement, practicing juggling daily while helping babysit Francis’ daughter. When he rejoined his parents in 1968, they spent six months in Japan, where Michael honed his act, rehearsing up to six hours a day.
Michael Chirrick’s signature act, created over fifty years ago, remained the foundation of his show throughout his career. Centered around juggling, spinning, and balancing one to five large rubber balls, he first learned his five-ball pattern using volleyballs, never practicing with smaller balls. Early on, he included stick juggling but dropped it in the mid-1970s to focus on ball work, where he felt strongest.
His first professional performance was in Texas in October 1969, sharing the spotlight with his mother, Lottie Brunn, and fellow juggler Gustavo Esqueda.
Lottie Brunn and Michael Chirrick, mother and son
Afterward, Mike auditioned successfully for the Harlem Globetrotters and toured with them for seven seasons between 1971 and 1983, completing two world tours, two U.S. tours, and three European tours. Initially billed as Michael Brunn, he wisely chose to perform under his own name.
While Mike briefly added nunchaku and torch-juggling routines, it’s his ball work that defined him. His act opened with a single large ball, bouncing and rolling it around his body, before building up to five-ball juggling. One of his standout tricks was a back handspring while launching a ball from his feet to catch on a mouthstick—a move he mastered despite learning tumbling late, around age nineteen. Though he later had to drop this trick on low-ceilinged ships, it remained a highlight for decades.
Michael innovated several tricks, including spinning a ball on each index finger, tossing them, pirouetting, and catching them back on his fingers. With more balls, he layered complex sequences: spinning, curling underarms, bouncing, and juggling. In one stunning routine, he maintained three spinning balls — two on his fingers and one on a mouthstick — while rolling over on the floor. This was a trick invented by one of his favorite jugglers, Rudy Cardenas.
Michael also perfected moves using ball-and-stick techniques: bouncing the ball off his neck, kicking it to a mouthstick catch, and executing blind kicks. His trademark blind kick to a double-deck spin—sending a second ball atop a spinning first—became legendary. If the kick was off, he cleverly bounced the ball off his head to complete the move. He also performed a version of the famous Brunn Finish combination trick.
Michael worked all over the world, performing in over 100 countries and all 50 of the United States. It would be impossible to list all of the shows and tours he performed in, but highlights included Paul McCartney’s birthday party, performing often with Debbie Reynolds, appearing on the Dinah Shore TV show, and performing at the 1980 International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo.
He was also one of the first cruise ship jugglers and worked on numerous ships for many years. At one point, he estimated that he spent a decade of his life on a ship. He lived and worked in Las Vegas for many years before settling in Branson, MO with his third wife Diana. Michael continued to work in Branson up until February of 2025.
Michael Chirrick was honored with the Award of Excellence by the IJA in 2009. Our condolences go out to his wife Diana, his extended family, friends, and fans within the entertainment and juggling communities.
(Author’s Note: Much thanks to Alan Howard, whose previous article on Michael from JUGGLE Magazine provided much information for this obituary.)
David Cain
David Cain is a professional juggler, juggling historian, and the owner of the world's only juggling museum, the Museum of Juggling History. He is a Guinness world record holder and 16 time IJA gold medalist. In addition to his juggling pursuits, David is a successful composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and singer as well as the author of twenty-six books. He and his children live in Middletown, OH (USA).