Origins & Early Life

Sylvia Celeste Browne (née Shoemaker; October 19, 1936 – November 20, 2013) was an American writer and self-proclaimed medium and psychic. She appeared regularly on television and radio, including on The Montel Williams Show and Larry King Live, and hosted an hour-long online radio show on Hay House Radio. Browne frequently made pronouncements that were later found to be false, including those related to missing persons. In 1992, she pleaded no contest to securities fraud.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Despite the considerable negative publicity, she maintained a large following until her death in 2013. Sylvia Browne grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of William Lee and Celeste (née Coil) Shoemaker. Her father held several different jobs, working at times in mail delivery, jewelry sales, and as a vice president of a freight line. Although Browne was raised mostly as a Catholic, she was said to have an Episcopalian mother, a Lutheran maternal grandmother, Jewish father, and relatives from all these faiths. Browne said that she started seeing visions at the age of three, and that her grandmother, who she said was also a psychic medium, helped her understand what they meant.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Browne also...

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