Farrah Fawcett; Goodbye to a Beauty
She was a surprise hit when she first joined the show Charlie's Angels in the 70's. Joining Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson; both beauties as well, Farrah quickly became America's sex symbol. The poster...you know THE POSTER, which sold millions in its first year, was plastered on the walls of boys and men all over the world. Women and their daughters flocked to the hair salons, wanting to sport her cascading style upon their own heads. Farrah became a household name.
Then, she married the Six Million Dollar Man and the two of them were a power couple for years. Both with hit series and both beautiful. Unfortunately, neither her marriage nor her desire to stay on the series lasted as long as America had hoped. Farrah, wanting to branch out on her own and hoping to be taken seriously as an actress found that her beauty was more of a detriment than a help in getting roles to showcase her acting talent.
The Burning Bed; playing a woman named Francine Hughes, changed every one's thoughts about Farrah. Televised during prime time, we watched her being beaten and fighting for her life and we all became fans of Farrah the actress, instead of loving her simply for her looks.
Extremities appeared in the movie theater and while it had some tongue in cheek humor, it also showed that Farrah was definitely a dramatic actress with talent.
Farrah's personal life was quite tumultuous but it was obvious that Ryan O'Neill was truly her soul mate. They may have not been able to live together as we all had hoped but during her three year fight to overcome her cancer, Ryan was by her side; as he was when she finally left this world on Thursday, June 25, 2009.
A beauty queen from Texas, who took a nation by surprise. We were fixated by her looks, held in awe by her acting talent and devastated over her early passing. Thank you Farrah for sharing your stories of your life with all of us over the years. We saw you rise and fall. You always continued to show dignity and an optimism not seen often. You were an inspiration to many; especially during your last few years of life. Your strength and determination, even when faced with criticism and hopelessness, influenced many to continue the fight against cancer and to move forward in looking for a cure. May you rest in peace and without pain.
