The New Nation - Internet Edition

Los Angeles, Agency

A winsome smile, tousled hair and unfettered sensuality were Farrah Fawcett's trademarks as a sex symbol and 1970s TV star in "Charlie's Angels." But as her life drew to a close, she captivated the public in a far different way: as a cancer patient who fought for, then surrendered, her treasured privacy to document her struggle with the disease and inspire others.

Fawcett, 62, died Thursday morning at St. John's Health Centre in Santa Monica, nearly three years after being diagnosed with anal cancer. Ryan O'Neal, the long-time companion who returned to her side when she became ill, was with her.

Fawcett became a sensation in 1976 as one-third of the crime-fighting trio in "Charlie's Angels." A poster of her in a clingy, red swimsuit sold in the millions and her full, layered hairstyle became all the rage, with girls and women across America mimicking the look. She left the show after one season but had a flop on the big screen with 'Somebody Killed Her Husband.' She turned to more serious roles in the 1980s and 1990s, winning praise playing an abused wife in 'The Burning Bed.'

The program debuted in September 1976, the height of what some critics derisively referred to as television's "jiggle show" era, and it gave each of the actresses ample opportunity to show off their figures as they disguised themselves as hookers and strippers to solve crimes.