Post by Tim Collins on Jun 25, 2009 15:52:12 GMT -7
www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/06/25/2009-06-25_charlies_angels_actress_farrah_fawcett_dies_from_cancer_at_62.html#ixzz0JU8QWvJK&D
'Charlie's Angels' actress Farrah Fawcett dies from cancer at 62; Longtime love Ryan O'Neal at side
By Larry Mcshane
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Updated Thursday, June 25th 2009, 1:10 PM
Actress Farrah Fawcett, whose layered blonde mane and ubiquitous swimsuit poster transformed the once-unknown "Charlie's Angels" star into a '70s icon, died Thursday. She was 62.
Fawcett - who waged a three-year battle against anal cancer - died shortly before 9:30 a.m. in a Santa Monica, Calif., hospital, said her spokesman, Paul Bloch.
The Texas-born actress chronicled her valiant fight for survival in a two-hour documentary. Her longtime love, actor Ryan O'Neal, was at her bedside with Fawcett's 91-year-old father, friend Alana Stewart, hairdresser Mela Murphy and doctor Lawrence Piro when the sex symbol passed away.
"After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away," O'Neal said in a statement.
"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."
Stewart, in a statement, said she was devastated by the death of her close friend of 30 years.
"Although I will miss her terribly, I know in my heart that she will always be there as that angel on the shoulder of everyone who loved her," Stewart said.
Fawcett's co-stars from "Charlie's Angels" also mourned the loss of their friend.
"Farrah had courage, she had strength, and she had faith," said Jaclyn Smith. "And now she has peace as she rests with the real angels."
Cherly Ladd recalled Fawcett as "incredibly brave ... God will be welcoming her with open arms."
Just days before her death, O'Neal said he hoped Fawcett would hang on long enough for them to wed.
"I've asked her to marry me, again, and she's agreed," O'Neal, 68, told Barbara Walters in a "20/20" interview.
"As soon as she can say yes," he said. "Maybe we can just nod her head."
The former pinup traveled the world in search for a cure for her disease, allowing cameras to capture her treatment and inner thoughts.
"I know that everyone will die eventually, but I do not want to die of this disease. I want to stay alive," she said.
"So I say to God, because it is, after all, in his hands: It is seriously time for a miracle."
By the time the documentary "Farrah's Story" aired in mid-May to 9 million viewers, Fawcett was gravely ill, too sick to attend her own premiere. And the miracle she prayed for never came.
Fawcett burst into the national consciousness during the Bicentennial, debuting in September 1976 as one of three gorgeous female investigators on "Charlie's Angels."
Derided as "jiggle TV," the show made Fawcett an instant star - but she bolted after one season for a movie career. Forgettable flicks like "Saturn 3" and "Sunburn" quickly followed.
A determined Fawcett bounced back, returning to television and earning three Emmy nominations for her dramatic work.
She produced and starred in 1984's "The Burning Bed," portraying a domestic violence victim. Her other Emmy nods came for "Small Sacrifices" in 1989 and a guest spot on "The Guardian" in 2001.
She also starred as a vengeful rape victim in the off-Broadway success "Extremities," reprising her role in the screen version. And she received kudos for her 1997 comeback role in "The Apostle," opposite Robert Duvall.
She was equally known for her bizarre off-screen exploits: an incoherent 1997 appearance with David Letterman, a violent fight with a spurned boyfriend the next year, and her stormy relationship with actor Ryan O'Neal.
Her 60th birthday party ended with O'Neal pulling a gun on his son, Griffin.
Fawcett came to Hollywood from Corpus Christi, Texas. Her stunning looks and girl-next-door demeanor landed her a modeling gig within two weeks.
She also landed a husband, actor Lee Majors of "The Six Million Dollar Man." The pair split in 1982, with O'Neal replacing Majors as her on-and-off leading man.
It was her role as Angel Jill Munroe that cast Fawcett as a Hollywood pinup, a '70s version of Rita Hayworth or Marilyn Monroe. A poster of Fawcett in a one-piece red bathing suit sold 12 million copies.
The Letterman appearance, more than a decade old, remains a popular clip on YouTube. Fawcett was on the show promoting her second nude Playboy pictorial.
Fawcett is survived by her father and her son with O'Neal, Redmond, who is in jail on a drug-related probation violation and received special permission to visit his dying monther in recent months.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked for donations to support cancer research through The Farrah Fawcett Foundation c/o P.O. Box 6478, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.
A Los Angeles funeral was expected within the next few days.
'Charlie's Angels' actress Farrah Fawcett dies from cancer at 62; Longtime love Ryan O'Neal at side
By Larry Mcshane
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Updated Thursday, June 25th 2009, 1:10 PM
Actress Farrah Fawcett, whose layered blonde mane and ubiquitous swimsuit poster transformed the once-unknown "Charlie's Angels" star into a '70s icon, died Thursday. She was 62.
Fawcett - who waged a three-year battle against anal cancer - died shortly before 9:30 a.m. in a Santa Monica, Calif., hospital, said her spokesman, Paul Bloch.
The Texas-born actress chronicled her valiant fight for survival in a two-hour documentary. Her longtime love, actor Ryan O'Neal, was at her bedside with Fawcett's 91-year-old father, friend Alana Stewart, hairdresser Mela Murphy and doctor Lawrence Piro when the sex symbol passed away.
"After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away," O'Neal said in a statement.
"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."
Stewart, in a statement, said she was devastated by the death of her close friend of 30 years.
"Although I will miss her terribly, I know in my heart that she will always be there as that angel on the shoulder of everyone who loved her," Stewart said.
Fawcett's co-stars from "Charlie's Angels" also mourned the loss of their friend.
"Farrah had courage, she had strength, and she had faith," said Jaclyn Smith. "And now she has peace as she rests with the real angels."
Cherly Ladd recalled Fawcett as "incredibly brave ... God will be welcoming her with open arms."
Just days before her death, O'Neal said he hoped Fawcett would hang on long enough for them to wed.
"I've asked her to marry me, again, and she's agreed," O'Neal, 68, told Barbara Walters in a "20/20" interview.
"As soon as she can say yes," he said. "Maybe we can just nod her head."
The former pinup traveled the world in search for a cure for her disease, allowing cameras to capture her treatment and inner thoughts.
"I know that everyone will die eventually, but I do not want to die of this disease. I want to stay alive," she said.
"So I say to God, because it is, after all, in his hands: It is seriously time for a miracle."
By the time the documentary "Farrah's Story" aired in mid-May to 9 million viewers, Fawcett was gravely ill, too sick to attend her own premiere. And the miracle she prayed for never came.
Fawcett burst into the national consciousness during the Bicentennial, debuting in September 1976 as one of three gorgeous female investigators on "Charlie's Angels."
Derided as "jiggle TV," the show made Fawcett an instant star - but she bolted after one season for a movie career. Forgettable flicks like "Saturn 3" and "Sunburn" quickly followed.
A determined Fawcett bounced back, returning to television and earning three Emmy nominations for her dramatic work.
She produced and starred in 1984's "The Burning Bed," portraying a domestic violence victim. Her other Emmy nods came for "Small Sacrifices" in 1989 and a guest spot on "The Guardian" in 2001.
She also starred as a vengeful rape victim in the off-Broadway success "Extremities," reprising her role in the screen version. And she received kudos for her 1997 comeback role in "The Apostle," opposite Robert Duvall.
She was equally known for her bizarre off-screen exploits: an incoherent 1997 appearance with David Letterman, a violent fight with a spurned boyfriend the next year, and her stormy relationship with actor Ryan O'Neal.
Her 60th birthday party ended with O'Neal pulling a gun on his son, Griffin.
Fawcett came to Hollywood from Corpus Christi, Texas. Her stunning looks and girl-next-door demeanor landed her a modeling gig within two weeks.
She also landed a husband, actor Lee Majors of "The Six Million Dollar Man." The pair split in 1982, with O'Neal replacing Majors as her on-and-off leading man.
It was her role as Angel Jill Munroe that cast Fawcett as a Hollywood pinup, a '70s version of Rita Hayworth or Marilyn Monroe. A poster of Fawcett in a one-piece red bathing suit sold 12 million copies.
The Letterman appearance, more than a decade old, remains a popular clip on YouTube. Fawcett was on the show promoting her second nude Playboy pictorial.
Fawcett is survived by her father and her son with O'Neal, Redmond, who is in jail on a drug-related probation violation and received special permission to visit his dying monther in recent months.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked for donations to support cancer research through The Farrah Fawcett Foundation c/o P.O. Box 6478, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.
A Los Angeles funeral was expected within the next few days.