Canadian magician Celeste Evans, a headstrong entertainer whose trailblazing career took her around the world, has died at the age of 85.

Evans was born in White Rock, B.C., was largely self-taught and faced huge hurdles in an industry dominated by men.  However, she was a curvy brunette with Jane Russell looks and offered a uniquely feminine take on a craft that generally relegated women to the sidelines. She began seriously training in the late 1940s and performing in the early 1950s.

In an interview before she died, she said after performing her magic act in British Columbia and Toronto, the world took notice and she wound up touring the globe.

Evans’ daughter says her mother died of old age last week at her home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Celeste Evans was 85.