Sydney Omarr Dies at 76; Popular Astrologer and Leo
Sydney Omarr, an astrologer whose divinations were available in more than 200 newspapers, in 13 books a year and on a pay-per-call phone line, died on Thursday at a hospital in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 76.
The cause was complications of a heart attack, The Associated Press reported.
About 90 percent of American newspapers carry horoscopes, but ever since Newton, modern science has not been kind to the idea of forecasting the future on the basis of planetary movements. Mr. Omarr nonetheless defended astrology in public debates with scientists like Linus Pauling and Carl Sagan.
A biography prepared by the Tribune Company, which owns his column, boasted that Time magazine once called Mr. Omarr ''astrology's most skillful public protagonist.'' Playboy termed him Mr. Astrology.
He was born Sidney Kimmelman at 10:27 a.m. on Aug. 5, 1926, in Philadelphia, with the sun, Mercury and Neptune all in Leo, and Libra on the ascendant.
He decided to change his name at 15 after seeing a movie called ''Shanghai Gesture,'' starring Victor Mature as a character named Omar. Relying on obscure numerological formulas, he changed the I in his first name to Y, and added the second R to Omar.
Still 15, he wrote his first book, ''Sydney Omarr's Private Course on Numerology.'' He sold mimeographed copies for $2.
He became a contributor to astrology magazines, which gave him small advertisements as compensation. The advertisements encouraged readers to send him their birth dates, a small fee and a personal problem to solve.
''My father, Harry, a grocer, and Rose, a housewife, stopped worrying about me when the checks started coming in,'' he said in a Los Angeles Times interview.
He enlisted in the Army at 17 and managed to specialize in astrology. He was host of a popular radio talk program in Okinawa that was heard throughout the Pacific. He predicted outcomes of sporting events.
After his discharge, Mr. Omarr attended journalism courses at Mexico City College and went on to become a reporter for United Press and a radio news director and editor for CBS in Hollywood.
He became friends with movie actresses like Kim Novak, Mae West and Rita Hayworth and began to write his column. His parties were legendary; he was Merv Griffin's resident television astrologer, and he methodically cranked out 13 books a year, one for each sign of the zodiac and one for all 12 signs.
He also wrote single-topic books linking astrology to romance, cooking and winning lottery numbers. His books have sold more than 50 million copies.
Mr. Omarr was eventually blinded and paralyzed by multiple sclerosis, which was first diagnosed in 1971. He dictated his column to assistants, who will continue to write it in his name.
He is survived by his sister, Leah Lederhandler.
He drew the line at giving horse racing tips to friends and declined to give personal readings, even to millionaires who sent him blank checks. But he eagerly pursued new opportunities, not least a Sydney Omarr slot machine.
Jeraldine Saunders, a former fashion model and television producer who was Mr. Omarr's wife for eight months in 1966, remembered his wit in an interview with The Los Angeles Times.
''When we were flying around the world together he'd say, 'Remember Jeraldine, if this plane goes down, tell them I predicted it.''
Photo: Sydney Omarr (Associated Press, 1988)
The cause was complications of a heart attack, The Associated Press reported.
About 90 percent of American newspapers carry horoscopes, but ever since Newton, modern science has not been kind to the idea of forecasting the future on the basis of planetary movements. Mr. Omarr nonetheless defended astrology in public debates with scientists like Linus Pauling and Carl Sagan.
A biography prepared by the Tribune Company, which owns his column, boasted that Time magazine once called Mr. Omarr ''astrology's most skillful public protagonist.'' Playboy termed him Mr. Astrology.
He was born Sidney Kimmelman at 10:27 a.m. on Aug. 5, 1926, in Philadelphia, with the sun, Mercury and Neptune all in Leo, and Libra on the ascendant.
He decided to change his name at 15 after seeing a movie called ''Shanghai Gesture,'' starring Victor Mature as a character named Omar. Relying on obscure numerological formulas, he changed the I in his first name to Y, and added the second R to Omar.
Still 15, he wrote his first book, ''Sydney Omarr's Private Course on Numerology.'' He sold mimeographed copies for $2.
He became a contributor to astrology magazines, which gave him small advertisements as compensation. The advertisements encouraged readers to send him their birth dates, a small fee and a personal problem to solve.
''My father, Harry, a grocer, and Rose, a housewife, stopped worrying about me when the checks started coming in,'' he said in a Los Angeles Times interview.
He enlisted in the Army at 17 and managed to specialize in astrology. He was host of a popular radio talk program in Okinawa that was heard throughout the Pacific. He predicted outcomes of sporting events.
After his discharge, Mr. Omarr attended journalism courses at Mexico City College and went on to become a reporter for United Press and a radio news director and editor for CBS in Hollywood.
He became friends with movie actresses like Kim Novak, Mae West and Rita Hayworth and began to write his column. His parties were legendary; he was Merv Griffin's resident television astrologer, and he methodically cranked out 13 books a year, one for each sign of the zodiac and one for all 12 signs.
He also wrote single-topic books linking astrology to romance, cooking and winning lottery numbers. His books have sold more than 50 million copies.
Mr. Omarr was eventually blinded and paralyzed by multiple sclerosis, which was first diagnosed in 1971. He dictated his column to assistants, who will continue to write it in his name.
He is survived by his sister, Leah Lederhandler.
He drew the line at giving horse racing tips to friends and declined to give personal readings, even to millionaires who sent him blank checks. But he eagerly pursued new opportunities, not least a Sydney Omarr slot machine.
Jeraldine Saunders, a former fashion model and television producer who was Mr. Omarr's wife for eight months in 1966, remembered his wit in an interview with The Los Angeles Times.
''When we were flying around the world together he'd say, 'Remember Jeraldine, if this plane goes down, tell them I predicted it.''
Photo: Sydney Omarr (Associated Press, 1988)
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