Sylvia Celeste Browne (née Shoemaker; October 19, 1936 – November 20, 2013) was an American author who claimed to be a medium with psychic abilities. 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 plead no contest to securities fraud. Despite the considerable negative publicity, she maintained a large following until her death in 2013.
Early life
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 major freight line. Browne was raised mostly as a Catholic, and was said to have an Episcopalian mother, a Lutheran maternal grandmother, Jewish father, and relatives from all these faiths.
Browne claimed that she started seeing visions at the age of three,<ref name= sierra>"Grand Sierra hosts psychic and author Sylvia Browne". '"Reno Gazette-Journal. June 5, 2008. p. BestBets 8.</ref> and that her grandmother, who she claimed was also a psychic medium, helped her understand what they meant. Browne also claimed her great-uncle was a psychic medium and was "rabid about UFOs".
Career
Browne started working as a psychic in 1973. In 1986, she founded a "Gnostic Christian" church in Campbell, California, known as the Society of Novus Spiritus. She was also head of the Sylvia Browne Corporation and Sylvia Browne Enterprises. In a 2010 interview, Browne's business manager said that her businesses earned $3 million a year.
Browne claimed to have observed Heaven and angels. She also professed the ability to speak with a spirit guide named "Francine", and to perceive a wide range of "vibrational frequencies".
Books
Browne authored some 40 books on paranormal topics, some of which appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. Many of these books were acknowledged as resulting from collaborations with other writers such as Lindsay Harrison and Chris Dufresne.