Astrologer Mystic Meg dies aged 80 after short illness

The astrologer passed away in the early hours of this morning.

Known for her weekly National lottery predictions, tributes have been paid to the beloved star who lived alone in Notting Hill with seven cats.

"Without any question, she was Britain’s most famous astrologer by a million miles,” her agent Dave Shepland told the Sun in the wake of her death.

“Nobody came close to Meg in that respect. She was followed by millions in this country and also around the world.

"She even became part of the English language – if a politician, somebody from showbiz or ordinary people in the street are asked a tricky question they will say ‘Who do you think I am, Mystic Meg?’

“It shows what an impact she made.”

Editor of The Sun Victoria Newton added: "For more than two decades Mystic Meg has been a must read column and cemented her as Britain's most famous astrologer.”

Piers Morgan also paid tribute to the “mysterious lady who loved her work with a passion but was rarely seen or heard in public,” saying: “I was her editor at the News of the World for several years and she was extraordinarily professional in everything she did. A master of her very popular craft.”

The astrologer, real name Margaret Lake, had been admitted to a London Hospital with a bout of the flu last month.

She received a diploma in teaching, though opted to enter a career as a sub editor at a women’s magazine.

She then joined the News of the World magazine as a journalist, while also writing erotic stories.

Her phone-line horoscope readings brought her to fame, also featuring on the National Lottery TV show in the UK in the late 1990s.

She would stare into her crystal ball to predict the weekly jackpot winner.