David Blaine completed his "dive of death" stunt in New York on Thursday by plunging more than 40ft to the ground - and then disappearing from sight.

The 35-year-old magician has spent three days hoisted by his heels over the Wollmann Rink in New York's Central Park.

But his stunt, which was billed as an attempt to hang upside down for 60 hours, disappointed many curious onlookers who found him standing upright on a cherry picker, drinking water and relieving himself during frequent breaks.

The New York Daily News declared "Give us a break" while several observers and bloggers labelled the US illusionist a "cheat".

Blaine was suspended from a four-storey high metal frame, but was frequently only a few feet from the ground as he spoke to fans face to face.

But at the end of a televised two-hour finale on ABC, a smiling Blaine waved to the crowd as he stood upright on top of the 44ft-high metal frame.

Attached to a series of wires with a safety harness, he then jumped from the structure to the ground before being hoisted back up again and, wearing black, disappeared into the night sky.

His latest stunt brought back memories of when he endured abuse, ridicule and the occasional missile from the visiting public as he spent six weeks crouched in a 7ft by 3ft box over the River Thames in London in October 2003.

Before being hoisted above the ground from his ankles in New York, he told reporters he intended to drink through a straw and urinate through a catheter during the stunt.

But when it came to the reality, Blaine took five-to-ten minute breaks every hour, drinking water but not eating as he stood on the raised platform while disappointed spectators looked on.