Farrah Fawcett, best known for her generation-inspiring hairstyle and role in the hit 70s television show “Charlie’s Angels,” died Thursday at the age of 62.
“After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away,” Fawcett’s longtime romantic companion Ryan O'Neal said in a statement released by Fawcett’s publicist, Paul Bloch.
“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 battle with cancer, which was diagnosed in 2006, took a turn for the worse in May after being in a period of
remission. Fawcett documented her cancer battle by taking a video camera to her medical appointments and used the footage for a TV documentary called “Farrah’s Story.”
Farrah’s blonde locks and natural beauty initially launched her into immense popularity, to a degree that rivaled that of Marilyn Monroe. Her fame was especially hallmarked by the famous red swimsuit pin-up poster that sold 12 million copies.
Fawcett’s early career in the late 1960s and early 1970s had the actress appearing in TV commercials, and she also appeared in the television show “I Dream of Jeanie” and the “Six Million Dollar Man.”
In 1976 Fawcett starred as Jill Munroe, a hip private investigator who was teamed with two other beauties in a made-for-TV movie called “Charlie’s Angels.” Because of a highly successful viewer rating, Charlie’s Angel’s began its run as a TV series and earned her a People’s Choice Award.
Farrah’s character was the most popular of the three “angels,” and the show spawned a hairdo phenomenon in which women around the world sported “Farrah Hair.”
Fawcett starred in a handful of films in the 1980s, most notably the 1984 film about a battered housewife entitled “Burning Bed.”
Fawcett is survived by her 24-year-old son Redmond and her recently engaged partner, Ryan O’Neal.
