- Share This Post
- submit
- 12
-
Sparkle (0)
Farrah Fawcett died this morning at St. John's Medical Center in Santa Monica after a three-year battle with cancer. She was 62.
The actress, who became an icon in the 70s, was diagnosed with anal cancer in late 2006. In February 2007, she was declared cancer-free after chemotherapy and radiation treatments, but the cancer returned later that spring. Dissatisfied with the treatment options in the United States, Fawcett went to Germany to seek other options that fall.
At the time of her death, the cancer had reportedly spread to her liver.
HER WORK
Farrah Fawcett played the gun-toting blonde bombshell Jill Munroe on Charlie's Angels. A poster arranged by her agent in the late 70s featuring the blonde in a red bathing suit sold an estimated 12 million copies and kicked off a curling iron frenzy among women that has never fully let up and fed the wildest dreams of men the world over.
Even so, it took some time for Fawcett to prove that she was more than a pretty face. After walking away from Charlie's Angels at the conclusion of the first season to focus on developing her career, Fawcett tried her hand in several theatrical films, but none brought her the critical praise she sought. It wasn't until 1983 that Fawcett received critical acclaim for playing an abused wife in the TV movie The Burning Bed, and scored an Emmy nomination. Still, it would be a decade before Fawcett proved herself on the silver screen.
Last month, NBC aired a documentary about Fawcett titled “Farrah's Story,” about Fawcett, her life and her on-going fight with anal cancer. Fawcett's friend Alana Stewart, who produced the two-hour special, told People magazine recently, "It was never meant to be a documentary. Farrah just took her little hand-held camera to the doctor one day." It was during that same check-up in 2007 that Fawcett discovered the cancer had returned.
This will be her last Hollywood credit.
HER LIFE
Farrah Fawcett was recognized for her all-American good looks from a young age—over three decades later, she would tell Entertainment Weekly that her looks were a curse she could never escape. Indeed, Fawcett was voted campus beauty at the University of Texas at Austin.
Fawcett left Texas for Los Angeles after college, and almost immediately found an agent, who quickly put her to work in commercials for toothpaste and shampoos. It was around this time that she met Lee Majors, the future Six Million Dollar Man. They were married in 1973. Three years later, Fawcett was starring in Aaron Spelling's Charlie's Angels.
Fawcett and Majors split up in 1979 and it wasn't long before she moved in with the actor Ryan O'Neal. Their relationship is one of the most tumultuous and enduring in Hollywood history. The two were never married, but frequently found their way back to one another over the years; just this week, O'Neal announced that he and Fawcett planned to wed as soon as she regained her strength.
O'Neal was at her side this morning when Fawcett died.
LIFE AFTER FARRAH
O'Neal released the following statement this afternoon: "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."
Fawcett's son with O'Neal, Redmond O'Neal, was not at her side. The youth was informed of his mother's passing at the Los Angeles County jail, where he is serving time for drug-related charges. His father had been trying to get a court-approved visit for the young O'Neal to see his mother before she passed away. It will be granted in time for her funeral.
Response to Fawcett's passing on Twitter and across the blogosphere has been huge. It is evident Farrah Fawcett will not soon be forgotten. There are many tributes to be found online right now, the best of which have been compiled by The TV Zone Blog.
Fawcett's death was announced just hours before the end of voting to determine the nominees for this year's Emmys. While nominated, the highest honor for television long eluded Fawcett during her three decade-long career. There is speculation now that the iconic bombshell may receive a posthumous nomination for “Farrah's Story” under the category of outstanding nonfiction special. It is one of 43 shows competing for one of the five
