Mystic Meg died at age 80 after losing her battle with a brief illness.
The astrologer, who rose to fame with her weekly National Lottery forecasts, died at 3:45 this morning.
It comes after the horoscope reader, whose real name is Margaret Lake, was admitted to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, last month with the flu.
Tributes have poured in for the star, who lived alone with her seven cats in a three-bedroom apartment in Notting Hill. She previously said that her feline friends had “found her and moved on.”
His agent of 34 years, Dave Shapland, told the Sun: ‘Without a doubt, she was Britain’s most famous astrologer by a million miles.
Mystic Meg (pictured) died at age 80 after losing her battle with a brief illness
The horoscope reader, real name Margaret Lake, was admitted to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, last month with the flu.
‘No one approached Meg in that regard. She was followed by millions in this country and also around the world.
“It even became part of the English language: if a politician, showbiz or ordinary people on the street are asked a tricky question, they’ll say ‘Who do you think I am, Mystic Meg?’… You can tell what an impact it made.
Piers Morgan described her today as ‘Britain’s most famous astrologer’ and a ‘fascinatingly mysterious lady who loved her work passionately, but was rarely seen or heard from in public’.
He added: ‘I was her editor at the News of the World for a number of years and she was extraordinarily professional in everything she did. A master of the very popular craft of hers.
Magician Uri Geller said that Meg was “so identifiable by name and image”, calling her “the quintessential fortune teller who brought mystery and mystique to millions of believers”.
He added: ‘She defied the sad doubters, as did her fans. Much love and positive energy, Meg, on your journey forward.’
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno also paid his respects on Twitter. He said he and Meg worked together “a few times on TV”, adding that she was a “lovely lady”.
Meg, of Romani descent, was born in a maternity home in Lancashire in 1942.
Meg (pictured as a student) studied English at the University of Leeds and joined the now-defunct News Of The World newspaper as a deputy editor, before eventually becoming deputy editor of its weekend supplement on Sunday.
Piers Morgan today described Mystic Meg (pictured) as “Britain’s most famous astrologer” and a “fascinatingly mysterious lady who loved her work passionately but was rarely seen or heard from in public”.
Meg appeared in a series of ads for Oasis soft drink in the 1990s and in 2015 was the face of the Grand National’s ‘You’re Guaranteed a Fortune’ campaign.
She grew up in a terraced house in Accrington, where her Russian Gypsy grandmother taught her astrology, although it was not her immediate career choice.
Meg studied English at the University of Leeds and joined the now-defunct News Of The World newspaper as a deputy editor. She rose to become deputy editor of his weekend supplement on Sunday.
She would make the switch to horoscopes in the 1980s, when she changed her name to Eileen Anderson and became the newspaper’s astrologer, before changing her name to Mystic Meg.
She then rose to stardom by becoming one of the first to offer horoscope readings over the phone in 1989.
Her service broke all BT records and she quickly became the most successful telephone line astrologer in the world.
Meg got another big break on the National Lottery TV show, which she appeared on from 1994 to 2000.
Every Saturday night, the ‘psychic’ would emerge from a puff of smoke and stare into her crystal ball, which her grandmother had left her, to predict who would win the jackpot.
Her distinctive cape and black bob hairstyle helped make her a household name, and she has signed multiple brand deals over the years.
Meg appeared in a series of Oasis soft drink ads in the 1990s and in 2015 was the face of the Grand National’s ‘You’re Guaranteed a Fortune’ campaign.
The animal lover had a great interest in horses and owned at least three racehorses.
