The sad tale of child singing phenomenon Lena Zavaroni is the subject of a new BBC documentary. She shot to fame aged 10, winning the TV talent show Opportunity Knocks and was whisked off to London by agents away from her family to entertain on TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic. She sang with Frank Sinatra and at the White House. By 13 she was diagnosed as anorexic, almost certainly a result of outside pressure to lose weight. At 15 she weighed four stone and was diagnosed with depression as well. She eventually died from pneumonia, exacerbated by her condition aged 35.
Born on 4 November 1963 12.45am Greenock, Scotland, with musical parents who ran a chip shop, she had a chart riddled with quincunxes giving her an internal unease as if she could never quite pull together the contradictory sides of her personality. She had a quick witted and intense 3rd house Sun, Mercury, Neptune in Scorpio inconjunct a 10th house career-oriented, restless Gemini Moon formed into a yod by Moon sextile Jupiter. She had another yod of Uranus Pluto sextile her Sun, Neptune inconjunct her 8th house Jupiter. And her Jupiter sextile her 6th house Saturn was inconjunct a highly-strung and erratic 1st house Uranus Pluto.
Her Gemini Moon was widely opposition a 4th house Mars square Uranus Pluto in Virgo in her 1st house further emphasizing her chaotic, nervy, high-octane approach to life.
In her twenties her mother died of a tranquilliser overdose and Lena had a fire in her home which destroyed all her showbiz memorabilia. Her short-lived marriage broke up after 18 months. She was unable to work and had ended up on state benefits. Towards the end of her life she underwent electroconvulsive therapy and threatened suicide if doctor’s didn’t attempt brain surgery to alleviate her depression. She did undergo “psychosurgical” operation but contracted pneumonia and died.
Her global superstar 22nd Harmonic was notable; as was her creative 5th H. Her ‘victim’ 12H had a trapped, frustrated, destructive Mars square Pluto tied into the Midheaven.
Talent and early success often comes at a great price.
The post Lena Zavaroni – sacrificed on the altar of success first appeared on Astroinform with Marjorie Orr – Star4cast.
