Rochelle "Rockie" Gardiner
(1938 - 2008)
Rockie Gardiner, a southern California astrologer and columnist well-known for her wit and humor, died in Los Angeles at the age of 70. In 1983, her forecast column, “The Rockie Horoscope,” first appeared in the L.A. Weekly. This column later became nationally syndicated and very popular with people in all walks of life. Prior to writing for the L.A. Weekly, Rockie wrote a column in Vogue.
Rockie was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised on Long Island. She attended Syracuse University and received her degree from Barnard College. She worked at Doubleday as an editor for children’s books. Then, Rockie was introduced to astrology by a friend in 1966 and went on to become a national astrological columnist.
Rockie married the love of her life, Peter Gardiner, in 1958. Peter was a cutting-edge psychedelic film director and a pioneer of “pop films” (the predecessor to music videos). In 1963, Rockie and Peter had a son, Jeremy Gardiner. Tragically, she was widowed in October 1968 and never remarried.
Wikipedia states that “After the death of her beloved husband, Peter, Rockie dated Jim Morrison, the lead singer of the group.” Morrison gave her the original manuscript to his song “L.A. Woman” on which he had written “for Rockie, the original L.A. Woman.”
Other websites about Rockie:
http://www.laweekly.com/2008-11-06/news/rockie-ascendent-a-farewell-to-our-favorite-stargazer/
http://www.deepglamour.net/deep_glamour/2008/11/rip-rockie-gardiner-astrologer.html
http://www.rockiehoroscope.com/
CLICK HERE FOR TRIBUTES TO ROCKIE FROM THE LA WEEKLY
BIRTH AND DEATH DATA:
Source: SSDI and the LA Weekly
BIRTH: 14 Dec 1937 in Brooklyn, NY. No Time Given.
DEATH: October 31, 2008 at 11:11 A.M from pneumonia. in CA.
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CREDITS: Pictures from http://www.laweekly.com/ This memorial written by Arlene DeAngelus and created by Liz Houle with graphics from Word of Mouth Web Design.