On this day, June 25, 2009 American actress and artist Ferrah Leni “Farrah” Fawcett died. Born February 2, 1947 she was a multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee.

Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie’s Angels in 1976. Fawcett later appeared off-Broadway to critical approval and in highly rated and critically acclaimed television movies, in roles often challenging (The Burning Bed; Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story; Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story; Double Exposure: The Story of Margaret Bourke-White) and sometimes unsympathetic (Small Sacrifices).

Fawcett was a sex symbol whose iconic poster, released the same year Charlie’s Angels premiered, broke sales records, making her an international pop culture icon. Her hairstyle was emulated by young women in the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1996, Fawcett was ranked #26 on TV Guide’s “50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time” list.

Fawcett died at approximately 9:28 am, PDT on June 25, 2009, in the intensive care unit of Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, with O’Neal and Stewart by her side. Her death was overshadowed by the death of Michael Jackson.

Birthdays
1887 – George Abbott (director: Damn Yankees, The Pajama Game, Too Many Girls; died Jan 31, 1995)

1906 – Roger Livesey (actor: Of Human Bondage, The Entertainer; died Feb 4, 1976)

1915 – Peter Lind Hayes (Joseph Conrad Lind) (actor: The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, Zis Boom Bah!, Peter Loves Mary [w/wife, Mary Healy]; Died Apr 21, 1998)

1924 – Sidney Lumet (director: Twelve Angry Men, Serpico, Deathtrap, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, The Pawnbroker, Family Business, Playhouse 90, Gloria; died Apr 9, 2011)

1925 – June Lockhart (actress: Lassie, Lost in Space, Petticoat Junction, Deadly Games, The Big Picture, The Yearling, Meet Me in St. Louis)

1947 – Jimmie Walker (actor, comedian: Good Times, B.A.D. Cats, Airplane!, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York)

1975 – Linda Cardellini (actress: Good Burger, Scooby-Doo, La La Wood, Legally Blonde, Dying to Live, Dead Man on Campus)