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farrah fawcett, a reigning symbol of american pop culture who never quite managed to escape the one electrifying role that made her that symbol -- as one of "charlie's angels" -- has died. she was 62, and had been suffering from anal cancer, which had recently spread to her liver.
"after a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved farrah has passed away," fawcett's longtime partner 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."
a near-mythic figure of '70s tv screen and pinup poster fame, with her radiant grin and bounteous hair, fawcett became a cultural star -- at one time adored, then mimicked by fans, and mobbed by paparazzi. she was one of those uniquely hollywood/tabloid creations who eventually became famous simply because . . . she was famous.
born in corpus christi, texas, in 1947, fawcett moved to los angeles after high school, and was cast in small roles in series such as "i dream of jeannie" and "the flying nun." after marrying tv star lee majors in 1973, she guest-starred in four episodes of his hit series "the six million dollar man" and began doing ads for wella balsam hair products. that led to a poster company inquiring about taking her picture.
a deal was struck, and the fawcett pinup -- featuring the star in a red bathing suit that didn't hide much at all -- became a worldwide best-seller. it remains her iconic image: a picture that for some still recalls an entire decade.
despite later attempts at serious tv movies and stage work, it was just one role that defined fawcett for the past 30 years, for better or worse. in 1976, fawcett -- then credited as fawcett-majors -- was cast as jill munroe, one of three female detectives in an abc series that was originally going to be called "the alley cats." the trio never actually saw their boss, but were sent off on assignments to health spas or beaches or nightclubs -- where they might model either snug-fitting bathing suits or nolan miller gowns. abc spent up to $20,000 per episode on the costumes fawcett, kate jackson and jaclyn smith wore -- insanely profligate even in 1970s dollars.
predictably, the press hated the show, and just as predictably, the public loved it. when it bowed on sept. 22, 1976, "charlie's angels" was seen by nearly 59 percent of the viewing audience; in 2009, only super bowls manage that kind of viewership.
in his 2002 autobiography, creator aaron spelling, who died in 2006, noted that "any time we put one of the angels in a bathing suit, and we would have been stupid not to, the press called it 'jiggle.' why damn us with that silly word? . . . the women spent more of their time in the fantastic nolan miller gowns."
spelling sought fawcett after casting jaclyn smith; he needed a pretty blond, explaining, "we were looking for a california beach girl type and farrah was perfect for that. she was drop-dead gorgeous and the living image of the beautiful blond in tennis shorts or a bathing suit."
fawcett quit after one season to pursue a movie career, which led to a sensational breach-of-contract suit and an ultimate truce in which she agreed to appear in six additional episodes. abc then cast cheryl ladd as jill's sister, kris, reasoning that viewers would never hate the sister of the woman who ditched the series.
"charlie's angels" lasted until 1981 -- more than enough time to keep abc the top-rated network in television -- although the damage to fawcett's career was severe.
she posed nude in playboy (1995) - giving the magazine one of its best-selling issues of the decade; there was also a memorably incoherent appearance on "late show with david letterman" (1997); and later, a well-publicized altercation with her then-boyfriend, director james orr (1998).
her battle with cancer was made public in 2006, and she subsequently signed a deal with a california tv producer to create a show that would follow her on her tireless rounds of treatments for a disease she was certain she would beat. the program aired may 15 on nbc..
her decision to tell her own story through the nbc documentary was meant as an inspiration to others, friends said. the segments showing her cancer treatment, including a trip to germany for procedures there, were originally shot for a personal, family record, they said. and although weak, she continued to show flashes of grit and good humor in the documentary.
"farrah's story" will be her final credit.
"she was an angel on earth and now an angel forever," lee majors said thursday.
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