Horrible Woman Dies

Sylvia Brown is dead.

Good riddance.

This self-described “psychic” who conned millions of people around the world for four decades, this revolting fraud who took advantage of the weakest and most emotionally vulnerable people in our society — solely for her own personal fame and profit — passed away on Wednesday night.  Unfortunately for the good citizens of planet earth, her death came 77 years too late.

Yes, she was 77.

This horrible woman lied to millions.  Her life was one big con game.  She misled the lonely loved ones of relatives who passed away, those who desperately sought connections, answers, and some measure of closure.  She pretended to talk to the dead, when in reality she was actually acting out a charade, hoping to convince those who suffered painful losses in their lives to keep on buying her books, attending her sham seminars, and paying for her private “readings,” which cost $500 an hour.

She once told a desperate family (on national television) with a missing child that their beloved one was dead.  She stated that the police should stop looking.  Fortunately, law enforcement ignored this lunatic.  The missing child was later found very much alive (kidnapped) and was eventually reunited with the grieving family.  Oh, and she never had the decency to apologize.  This true story is but a small sample of the misery this wretched creature caused.

This woman deserves no compassion, nor sympathy.  None whatsoever.  She was a despicable leech who preyed on the weak for the entire duration of her life.  Not surprisingly, she often used religion and faith as part of her act.

I had the misfortune of seeing Brown perform her “miracles” late last year.  It was one of the most astonishingly painful moments I’ve ever witnessed.  Sort of like watching animals being tortured.  An audience mostly comprised of middle-aged women — who had lost fathers, mothers, husbands, sons, and daughters — were paraded through the auditorium in an assembly line in front of Brown’s throne, seeking her blessing and benevolence.  Anytime one of the ticket-buying mourners tried to ask a follow-up question desperately crying out for just one more tidbit from a deceased loved one, Browne rudely cut off the question in mid-sentence, insisting she had other people to get to.  She then recommended to go out and buy her books, conveniently on sale in the lobby.  Each “personal” reading took perhaps 20-30 seconds.  Worse, some of those who sought answers presumably followed her advice about family troubles, careers, and who knows what else.  No doubt, some people listened and probably stuck it out in abusive relationships, or quit jobs, or did other self-destructive things encouraged by Browne in one of her “cold readings.”  This woman undoubtedly harmed lives.

There’s an old saying which suggests not speaking ill of the dead.  Nonsense.  What about when someone truly awful perishes?  Someone who lied and conned people out of their money?  Shouldn’t we celebrate such a demise?

Indeed — when someone as harmful and hurtful as Sylvia Browne dies, we should all rejoice.  She had an opportunity to come clean many times.  She could have retired and lived off her ill-gotten loot, robbed from the hopes of the desperate.  Instead, she continued to sell her snake oil until the very end of her worthless life, causing untold misery and confusion for all those who were foolish enough to listen to her quackery.

We should not mourn her passing, at all.  Rather, we should be empowered by it and next move on to her partners in crime, the John Edwards, the James Van Praaghs, and all the rest of the thieves and liars who prey on the desperate.

READ MORE:  I SEE DEAD PEOPLE — MY REVIEW OF SYLVIA BROWNE’S FLIM-FLAM ACT