Her spokesman, Paul Bloch, confirmed that the iconic actress died on Thursday, June 25, at 9:28 a.m. PDT at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, after a three year battle with cancer.
Her longtime companion, Ryan O'Neal, and best friend, Alana Stewart, were in the hospital at her bedside when she passed away. Her 24-year-old son Redmond O’Neal, who is serving a jail sentence for drug charges, was not present.
“After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away,” O’Neal said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
"Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends," O'Neal said, "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."
People magazine quoted him as saying: "She's gone. She now belongs to the ages ... She's now with her mother and sister and her God. I loved her with all my heart. I will miss her so very, very much. She was in and out of consciousness. I talked to her all through the night. I told her how very much I loved her. She's in a better place now."
Tributes poured in from co-stars
Mourning the loss of their co-star, other "Charlie's Angels" stars paid tribute to Fawcett. "Farrah had courage, she had strength, and she had faith. And now she has peace as she rests with the real angels," Jaclyn Smith said.
"She was incredibly brave, and God will be welcoming her with open arms," said Cheryl Ladd.
Her battle with cancer
Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006, for which she sought aggressive treatment in the United States and Germany.
After a round of chemotherapy, she was declared cancer-free in just four months, but unfortunately, the disease was again detected in May 2007. The doctors found that "not only had it recurred, it metastasized to her liver”.
She then planned to share the details of her cancer battle with the world and began videotaping her grim, debilitating war with the disease.
The two-hour documentary titled ‘Farrah’s Story’, which was aired May 15 on NBC (National Broadcasting Company), brought the actress’ painful struggle with liver cancer before the world.
Fawcett is survived by her fiancé Ryan O'Neal, their son Redmond, and her father, 91.
Fawcett’s professional life
Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Fawcett shot to international fame in 1976 due, in part, to her role as private investigator Jill Munroe in the hit television show "Charlie's Angels”.
Apart from "Charlie's Angels", Fawcett was also known for her Emmy-nominated performance in the 1984 made-for-TV movie “The Burning Bed”, in which she played an abused wife who, after years of physical abuse at the hands of her husband, sets him on fire while he was asleep in bed. That role earned her the first of three Emmy Award nods in her career.
She enjoyed another success in 1997 with the release of “The Apostle”, in which she played Robert Duvall's cheating wife. Fawcett subsequently made guest appearances on popular programs like Ally McBeal, Spin City and The Guardian.
Fawcett was married to Lee Majors, star of TV's “Six Million Dollar Man”, from 1973–1982, though they split in 1979. After finalizing her divorce from Majors in 1982, she embarked on a romance with Hollywood bad boy O’Neal.
Post new comment