Youree Dell Harris, the Psychic Readers Network spokesperson best known by the alias Miss Cleo, has passed away at the age of 53.
According to a statement issued by her family, Harris had been battling cancer.
Known for her “Call me now!” catchphrase and her hard-nosed responses to stubborn callers, Harris became a universally-recognized pop cultural figure due to her ubiquitous late night television commercials that aired throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s.
Despite presenting herself as a tarot-reading Caribbean shaman, Harris was actually born in raised in Los Angeles by American parents.
Her unlikelt career arc started in Seattle, where she worked as an actor and stage producer.
However, after one of her projects failed commercially, she and her partner fled the city to escape the massive amount they had accrued.
Shortly thereafter, Harris found her fillinf in as a psychic and spokesperson for PRN.
After trying out a number of different aliases (including “Corvette Mama” and “Desiree Canterlaw”), settled on “Miss Cleo,” and her lighthearted commercials and infomercials made “Miss Cleo” a household name almost overnight.
In 2001, PRN became the subject of several lawsuits and was eventually investigated by the FCC.
Harris’ superiors were indicted, but managed to avoid prosecution.
Harris herself went on to enjoy a successful career doing voice work and paid promotions.
In 2002, she voiced a character in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
In 2005, she was signed as a spokeswoman for the television network Fuse.
Harris reportedly passed away surrounded by loved ones at a hospice facility in Florida.
