Linda C. Black astrologer and columnist died she was 65

Linda C. Black died she was 65. Black, a Libra, wrote a daily syndicated horoscopes column that since 1992 has appeared in newspapers including the Chicago Tribune.

Ms. Black, 65, died of ovarian cancer Monday, Aug. 3, at a hospital near her home, a peacock farm on California's Central Coast, said her daughter, Nancy Black.

Ms. Black was both a devout Catholic and a devoted follower of astrology, which holds that the position of the stars and planets has a direct effect on human affairs and personalities.

"She didn't feel like she was taking liberties. She was interpreting on a scientific basis," said her daughter, who worked on the column with her mother for several months and has now taken it over in collaboration with Stephanie Clements.

The horoscope for Libra published on the day Ms. Black died read: "Surprise a family member by changing your perspective. Show you understand by your actions. This works well for all."

In a statement that accompanied the announcement of her death, Ms. Black is quoted as saying of her work: "We can use this information to make wise choices, develop our talents, be warned and be comforted."

"It was a very popular column, always one of our best sellers," said Mary Elson, managing editor at Tribune Media Services, which syndicated Ms. Black's column.

The former Linda Chamlee grew up in California and married Richard Black when she was 19. The couple and their two small children lived on a sailboat off Los Angeles for about a decade. As a sailor, Ms. Black learned celestial navigation, which built on an early fascination with the cosmos and astrology. She began compiling index cards on everyone she knew, charting personality traits and astrological information.

Divorced in 1974, she worked as a paralegal and in the mid-1980s got an English degree from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

She wrote a few articles for the magazine Fate, then received an offer from a publishing group to compile daily horoscopes. In the beginning, she was writing 250 words for each of the 12 astrological signs every day.

At the Tribune, she replaced Joyce Jillson. She wrote horoscopes six weeks in advance for newspapers nationwide and overseas.

"She promoted herself not at all," her daughter said. "She concerned herself with doing her column. I think her column was like her third child."

She is also survived by her second husband, Howard Hotchkiss; a son, Tony Black; her mother, Marcia Chamlee; a brother, Bryan Chamlee; and three grandchildren.