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."
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."
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