Actress Farrah Fawcett Passes Away
Original Charlie’s Angel Loses Cancer Battle
She has been dealing with anal cancer for several years and lost her fight with it today, June 25, 2009, in a Santa Monica hospital in Los Angeles. Her spokesperson said in a statement she passed away with friends and family at her side.
From Longhorns to Los Angeles
Farrah Fawcett was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 2, 1947 to James and Pauline Fawcett. She enrolled in the University of Texas in Austin but left after less than a year in 1967 to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles.
Within weeks of her arrival, she was starring in commercials for Ultra Brite toothpaste and Wella Balsam shampoo. She then parlayed those into guest-starring roles in shows like I Dream of Jeanie.
During this time, she met and fell in love with fellow actor Lee Majors. The two wed in 1973 and she went on to guest on his series, The Bionic Man. She also landed a supporting role in the sci-fi cult classic film Logan’s Run.
But it was in 1976 that Fawcett truly made her mark in television when she landed the role that would launch her as a ‘70s pop culture icon – that of Jill Monroe in the first season of Charlie’s Angels.
The Face that Launched a Million Hairdos
Even though Fawcett was only on the show for the first season, her long-flowing blonde mane and all-American girl good looks made her one of the top female sex symbols of the decade.
This status was cemented by the release of a single image, featuring a smiling Fawcett in a red swimsuit and flipped back hair. The image is still one of the most recognizable of the 70s and has sold over 12 million posters. It also inspired women worldwide to copy the hairstyle.
Upset at not being taken seriously as an actress, she left her Angel-mates behind to concentrate on a film career that went nowhere. She then returned to the small screen in the 1984 made-for-TV movie The Burning Bed. Her role as a victim of domestic violence in that film earned Fawcett her first Emmy nomination.
Fawcett also earned critical acclaim for her 1983 leading turn as a rape victim in the off-Broadway play Extremities, a role which she reprised in the made-for-TV film version. That garnered the actress a second Emmy nomination. She received a third Emmy nomination for guesting on the 2000 TV series The Guardian.
A Personal Life in Turmoil
Just as Fawcett’s professional life had many highs and lows, so too, did her personal.
The actress divorced Majors in the early-‘80s and began a long-running off-and-on love affair with actor Ryan O’Neal. The two had one son together, Redmond, born in 1985. Amid allegations of domestic violence and drug use, Fawcett and O’Neal separated several times over the years.
Fawcett also became tabloid fodder for certain career choices, like posing nude for Playboy at age 50 and for what seemed to be a drug-addled appearance on The David Letterman Show.
Her Battle with Cancer
In 2006, Fawcett was stricken with anal cancer. She immediately sought out treatment and was believed to cancer-free. Unfortunately, a year later, it was discovered the disease had returned and not only did Fawcett begin another round of radiation and chemotherapy, but she decided to chronicle this new fight for a documentary. Farrah’s Story aired in May 2009 on NBC to over 9 million viewers and was an unflinching look at how she dealt with the disease.
In a statement to the press, O’Neal, with whom she had reconciled again, said of Fawcett’s death, “After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away. Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world.”
In lieu of flowers her family has asked that donations to support cancer research be made to The Farrah Fawcett Foundation c/o P.O. Box 6478, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.
Farrah Fawcett's Famous Poster
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