Miss Cleo, the popular TV psychic whose highly quotable infomercials were ubiquitous in the late 1990s, has died at 53. A representative for Miss Cleo, whose real name was Youree Dell Harris, confirmed the passing to TMZ. Harris reportedly died Tuesday morning in Palm Beach County after recently being discharged to a local hospice center.
According to the rep, Cleo had been diagnosed with colon cancer but the cancer had started spreading to her lungs and liver. The rep described Miss Cleo as a "pillar of strength" and informed TMZ that she passed away in the company of her family and friends.
In a rare interview with IndieWire in 2014, Cleo opened up about her post-infomercial life and the difficulties of coming out to her family. "I'm as gay as a two dollar bill, same as you," she said to me. "And I mean no disrespect, because I'm gay. And for a long time… Long before you were even born, in fact. And in the black community and the Jamaican community, that's not easy. Not at all. As a matter of fact, when I came out publicly in 2006, I lost a large portion of my family. It's so difficult. I'm grateful for all you younger folks where it's not that way anymore."
Twitter mourned the death of Miss Cleo, who also had a voice part in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and worked briefly with Fuse, Tuesday with memories of her classic infomercial moments:
RIP Miss Cleo.
