On the morning of June 25, 2009 at approximately 9:28 a.m. PDT Farrah Fawcett lost her long battle with cancer in the intensive care unit at Saitn John’s Health Care Center in Santa Monica, California with long-time boyfriend Ryan O’Neal and friend Alana Stewart by her side.

Farrah Fawcett was 62 years old.

Born Ferrah Leni Fawcett on February 2, 1947 in Corpus Christi, Texas the younger of two daughters. Mother Pauline was a homemaker and father James was an oil field contractor. A Roman Catholic, Farrah was educated at the parish school of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church of Corpus Chrisi.  She graduated from W.B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi in 1965. From 1966–1969, Fawcett attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she appeared in a photo of the “Ten Most Beautiful Coeds” from the university, which ran in Cashbox magazine. A Hollywood publicist saw the photo, called Farrah and urged her to move to Los Angeles, which she did in 1969, leaving after her junior year with her parents’ permission to “try her luck” in Hollywood.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Fawcett appeared in TV commercials for consumer products, including Noxema shaving cream, Ultra Brite toothpaste, Wella Balsam shampoo, and the 1975 Mercury Cougar.  Later in 1978, after achieving TV stardom, she appeared in a series of commercials for her own brand of shampoo, marketed by Faberge. Fawcett’s first TV series appearance was a guest spot on I Dream of Jeannie in the 1968–1969 season, followed by guest appearances in Owen marshall Counselor at Law She later appeared in The Six Million Dollar Man with Lee Majors, which first aired in 1974, The Dating Game, and several episodes of Harry O . In 1976, Pro Arts Inc., pitched the idea of a poster of Fawcett to her agent, and a photo shoot was arranged. The company hired photographer Bruce McBroom.  From 40 rolls of film, Farrah selected 6 pictures, marking as favourite the one that made her famous. The resulting poster, of Farrah in a one-piece red bathing suit, was a best-seller; sales estimates ranged from over 5 million to 8 million to as high as 12 million copies.On March 21, 1976, the first appearance of Fawcett playing the character Jill Munroe in Charlie’s Angels was aired as amovie of the week. The movie starred Kate Jackson, Jacyln Smith and Fawcett (then billed as Farrah Fawcett-Majors) as private investigators for Townsend Associates, a detective agency run by a reclusive multi-millionaire whom the women had never met. Voiced by John Forsythe, the Charles Townsend character presented cases and dispensed advice via a speakerphone to his core team of three female employees, whom he referred to as “Angels.”

The series formally debuted on September 22, 1976. Fawcett emerged as a fan favorite in the show, and the actress won a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Performer in a New TV Program.

Her appearance in the TV show boosted sales of her poster, and she earned far more in royalties from poster sales than from her salary for appearing in Charlie’s Angels. Her hairstyle went on to become an international trend, with women sporting a “Farrah Do” or “Farrah Hair” and the hairstyle was even spoofed in various media, including Redd Foxx’s variety show on ABC.

Fawcett left the show after only one season and Cherly Ladd replaced her on the show, portraying Jill’s younger sister Kris Munroe.

Following a series of commercial and critical flops, Fawcett won critical acclaim for her 1983 role in the off-Broadway stage production of the controversial play Extremities, replacing Susan Sarandon in the role, she was a would-be rape victim who turns the tables on her attacker. During one performance, a stalker in the audience disrupted the show by asking Fawcett if she had received the photos and letters he had mailed her. Police removed the man and were only able to issue a summons for disorderly conduct.

The following year, her role as a battered wife in the fact-based TV movie The Burning Bed earned her her first of three Emmy Award nominations. The project is noted as being the first TV movie to provide a nationwide 800 number that offered help for others in the situation, in this case victims of domestic abuse.  It was also the highest-rated TV movie of the season.

In 1986 Fawcett appeared in the movie version of Extremities, which was also well-received by critics, and for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama.

She appeared in Between Two Women and took several more dramatic roles as infamous or renowned women. She was nominated for Golden Globe awards for roles as  in Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story and troubled Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton in Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story, and won a Cable ACE Award for her 1989 portrayal of groundbreaking Life magazine photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White.  Her 1989 portrayal of convicted murderer Diane Downs  in the miniseries Small Sacrifices earned her a second Emmy nomination and her sixth Golden Globe Award nomination.

Fawcett was married to Lee Majors,  star of TV’s The Six million Dollar Man, from 1973–1982, though the couple separated in 1979. During her marriage, she was known and credited in her roles as Farrah Fawcett-Majors.

From 1982 until her death, Fawcett was involved romantically with actor Ryan O’Neal. The relationship produced a son, Redmond O’Neal, born in January 1985. In April 2009, on probation for driving under the influence, he was arrested for possession of narcotics, while Fawcett was in the hospital. On June 22, 2009, The Los Angeles Times reported that Ryan O’Neal had said that Fawcett had agreed to marry him as soon as she felt strong enough and was able to say “yes”.

Sadly, that day will never come.

Larry King said of the Fawcett phenomenon, “TV had much more impact back in the ’70s than it does today. Charlie’s Angels got huge numbers every week. Farrah was a major TV star when the medium was clearly dominant.”

Playboy founder Hugh Heffner said “Farrah was one of the iconic beauties of our time. Her girl-next-door charm combined with stunning looks made her a star on film, TV and the printed page.”

Charlie’s Angles co-star Kate Jackson said “She was a selfless person who loved her family and friends with all her heart, and what a big heart it was. Farrah showed immense courage and grace throughout her illness and was an inspiration to those around her… I will remember her kindness, her cutting dry wit and, of course, her beautiful smile…when you think of Farrah, remember her smiling because that is exactly how she wanted to be remembered: smiling.”

And that’s how we’ll always remember Farrah.  With a smile!

Until Next Time!

Michael Queenstown

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