American writer and journalist, a nationally syndicated astrologer and newspaper columnist. Omarr is the author of “My World of Astrology,” 1965, and 12 annual sun-sign paperback books with indications for the year. Frequently seen on TV, he was a poised, erudite and articulate guest on interview shows, also well-versed in numerology. With a production line of columns and books for the general public, he added “World Famous Psychic” to his dossier in 2001 with phone numbers listed in pulp papers for the convenience of those seeking his advice.
In 1996, with more than 40 million copies of his books in print and a column in 300 daily newspapers, Omarr published his memoirs, “Answer in the Sky – Almost.” It is written as a series of anecdotes of his adventures in the world of astrology. He makes no secret of his contempt for academic snobbery and exposes incidents of scientific “cover-ups” that exclude the historic prevalence of the astrological method.
The son of a grocer and a housewife, Sydney was performing sleight-of-hand tricks in magic shops at age 15 and local talent shows when he changed his name. His interest in astrology and numerology began at that time and he sold his first self-published booklet for $2.00. At 17, he enlisted in the Army. A year later, he was transferred to Okinawa, where he became the first and only GI assigned astrology duty.
After the service, he attended journalism courses at Mexico City College and went on to become a reporter for United Press. One of his first assignments was to interview the governor of California at the time, Sagittarius Goodwin Knight, about some pending legislation.
He sold his first book, “Sydney Omarr’s Private Course on Numerology” and began analyzing the charts of movie stars in magazines. One of his proudest moments was his three-hour debate on Philadelphia radio station WPEN the night of 21 June 1951, with astronomer Roy K. Marshall, then director of the Fels Planetarium. The confrontation brought Omarr to the attention of astronomers and science writers, and elevated his public image as a skillful protagonist, helping to make him a star.
By the early 1970s, Omarr was publishing several books a year, and appearing regularly on TV talk shows hosted by Regis Philbin, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson. He also threw legendary parties for fawning celebrities and glamorous women in his home at that time, a Santa Monica condominium overlooking the waves.
Nearly all of the women in his life remained close friends. Among them was Jeraldine Saunders, a former fashion model and television producer who was Omarr’s wife in 1966 for eight months.
At age 76, Omarr showed remarkable spirit and zest for his work with syndicated publications. Paralyzed by multiple sclerosis, the world’s most widely read astrologer was blind and paralyzed from the neck down. Working with his editorial advisor, Valerie Barbeaux, Omarr dictated daily from his bed. The walls at his Westside apartment were covered with signed photographs of movie stars and public figures. In an adjacent room, assistant and friend Paul Smalls organized Omarr’s daily pay-per-call telephonic astrological forecasts, and assembled material for the 13 books – one for each sign of the zodiac and one for the entire year – that his boss wrote annually. His books sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, making him a wealthy man.
Rarely granting interviews, he appeared confident yet modest, part mystic and part everyday-Joe. His disease of M.S., diagnosed in 1971, robbed him of his sight in the early ‘90s. At the time of his death his column still appeared in more than 200 daily newspapers.
The old master died on 2 January 2003 at age 76 at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica after a heart attack, his ex-wife and friends at his side.
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