Growing up in the '90s, there was a particular eccentric figure who became infamous for her psychic hotline persona: Miss Cleo. "Call me now!" was her memorable catchphrase, urging viewers to give her a ring so she could help them find love, predict their futures and practically anything else that you'd expect a psychic to do. Unfortunately, TMZ has reported that Miss Cleo, whose real name is Youree Dell Harris, has passed away from cancer. She was 53.
Harris' story began in Seattle when she had produced and acted in a play called For Women Only. However, she ended up having to leave town after not compensating the actors a part of the play. Harris then reemerged as Miss Cleo, a Jamaican hotline psychic that ultimately became the spokesperson for Psychic Readers Network. However, over time people would learn that Miss Cleo wasn't who she claimed to be.
In 1999, Court TV (now known as truTV) started an investigation about the Psychic Readers Network to see if Miss Cleo was genuine and if the readings were accurate. When the investigation concluded, it was revealed that many of the "psychics" were actually voice actors with scripts, and the commercial's claim of offering a "free" reading was false (the first five minutes of the conversation were spent giving personal information, which means the psychic readings never actually happened).
Ultimately, Psychic Readers Network was sued by several different states for fraud and shut down, while Harris wasn't charged with anything but outed as fake. A released birth certificate revealed the psychic's real name, as well as where she was actually born — California.
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She remained under the radar for quite some time after that: she had a small voice role in Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: ViceCity,and was a part of a used car commercial for a car dealership in Orlando in 2005. Fast forward to 2014 and Harris was a part of the documentary Hotline, in which she addressed her life after the Psychic Readers Network scandal.
We'll always remember Miss Cleo because of how indistinguishable the character was from every other hotline service being offered during the '90s. Harris created one of the most mythical pop culture figures in recent history, with anyone born during that time having their own fond memories of seeing the persona on their TV screens.
