Farrah Fawcett: Poster Girl; Actress; Dead

"Friends, loved ones remember Farrah Fawcett"
CNN (June 25, 2009)

"The following is roundup of reactions to the death of actress Farrah Fawcett, as compiled by The CNN Wire. Fawcett died Thursday, after battling cancer.

"She was 62.

"Ryan O'Neal, Fawcett's longtime companion: '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.'

"Alana Stewart, her longtime friend: 'There are no words to express the deep sense of loss that I feel. For 30 years Farrah was much more than a friend, she was my sister, and 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.'..."

"Farrah Fawcett, sex symbol and actress, dies"
CNN (June 25, 2009)

"Farrah Fawcett, the blonde-maned actress whose best-selling poster and 'Charlie's Angels' stardom made her one of the most famous faces in the world, died Thursday. She was 62.

"Fawcett's death was confirmed by Paul Bloch, one of her representatives at Rogers and Cowan, an entertainment public relations firm.

Fawcett, who checked into a hospital in early April, had been battling anal cancer on and off for three years...."

Farrah Fawcett is one of those folks whose appearance is remarkable enough to get them into the entertainment business.

Or, in Farrah Fawcett's case, into hair product commercials. A Newsday.com article tells that she was the face under Noxzema and Wella Balsam shampoo in 1976, when she did a photo shoot for Pro Arts Inc., of Ohio.

The 1976 Farrah Fawcett poster is a sort of cultural marker for the mid-seventies. It's been on dorm walls, appeared in the background of a Garfield comic strip, and on a four-hundred-dollar T-Shirt (pricey, but my guess is that Amazon.com will sell quite a few).

She got more national attention in Charlie's Angels, which is still running as reruns on cable.

Farrah Fawcett's screen career started earlier, with appearances in everything from "Un homme qui me plaît" to " 'Mayberry R.F.D.' " and Myra Breckinridge. IMDB has her filmography.

I've read that her career 'stagnated' until she played the lead in the frightfully relevant The Burning Bed (1984).

I'm not sure that playing a Jill Munroe in 29 Charlie's Angles episodes from 1976 to 1980, and making films like Logan's Run (1976), Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978), Saturn 3 (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981) and The Red-Light Sting (1984) (admittedly a 'TV film'), is exactly 'stagnating' - but I don't have the lofty standards of a film critic.

My hat's off to Farrah Fawcett for having a long and successful career: despite looking good enough to sell shampoo.

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Update (June 28, 2009)

Farrah Fawcett received last rites before she died. More at

• "Farrah Fawcett: Poster Girl; Actress and Catholic"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (June 28, 2009)