Copperfield Collapses During Stunt Rehearsal

April 1 -- Illusionist David Copperfield was taken to a New York hospital on Friday in a state of "extreme exhaustion" after collapsing during rehearsals for a television special, his studio told Reuters on Saturday.

The 44-year-old sleight-of-hand master "collapsed during today's tornado test for his upcoming CBS special on Tuesday," the publicist for Copperfield Studios said in a statement.

"He has gone without sleep for 48 hours. He has been rehearsing nonstop, and this has obviously taken its toll," the statement said.

A spokeswoman said that Copperfield was not expected to be held overnight at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan and that David Copperfield: Tornado of Fire would be broadcast as scheduled.

The "tornado of fire" stunt involves Copperfield standing inside a fiery, manmade, 140 mph blast generated in a warehouse on the Hudson River. The temperature is estimated to exceed 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

"I have a recurring nightmare of dying in a fire," Copperfield said last week after a Manhattan news conference promoting the special. "And the best way to face my fears is to engulf myself in them."

For the stunt, he'll be wearing a flame-retardant Nomex military flight suit and gloves and a hood made from the same material. A fire truck, a burn doctor, and an ambulance will be standing by on the night of the special.

Reuters contributed to this story.