The Death Of An American Icon - Farrah Fawcett - 1947-2009

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Various

I just couldn't let the death of Farrah Fawcett pass without writing something. I don't want to talk about her battle with cancer, or her troubled son, I want to talk about her importance as an American icon.

The above image of Farrah probably stands as the most iconic image of the 1970s. That smile, was everywhere in the seventies. Now, many of you probably aren't as old as I am, and the decade that I'm referring to was most likely before your time. Yet, I'm certain that you have seen this image.

You may not understand, but Farrah Fawcett was a phenomena, she was beyond hot, she was the 70s premiere sex symbol. Farrah was a marketing man's dream come true. There were Farrah dolls, Farrah posters, Farrah magazines, Farrah t-shirts and even a little faucet shaped charm called "Farrah's Fawcett" or something like that.

Farrah was almost as big as "Star Wars."

To call the actress a sex symbol in some ways is not a true representation of the person she truly was. Granted she fit the bill, and Hollywood did everything it could to turn her into another Marilyn Monroe, but it was evident that she was never content to let her natural beauty rule her career. Farrah always wanted to show everyone that she was a serious actress, not just eye-candy.

The first time I ever saw Farrah was in the sci fi classic "Logan's Run." In the film, she played the 'typical' pretty dumb blond. Her career, however, was already well established by that point. She had been a quest star on several top-rated TV series including "I Dream of Jeannie", "The Flying Nun" and "The Partridge Family." It was her role as Jill Munroe on the popular drama series "Charlie's Angeles" that shot the young actress into super-stardom.

Farrah quickly tried to shake free of the massive popularity and sex symbol status, quitting "Charlie's Angels" after just 29 episodes. For the remainder of her career, the actress was drawn to very serious and dramatic roles, and her talents as an actress drew much deserving praise.

Undoubtedly if the actress had remained on "Angels" and followed the path that Hollywood so eagerly wanted her to follow, she would have become the next Monroe.

I think that is truly inspiring that she didn't follow the easy path, and yet chose to take the less attractive roles to prove that she was more than just hair and a smile.

So now, I sit here writing this in a time when the actress has passed wondering if her classic image yet doesn't have value unto itself. That All-American smile pretty much summed up the seventies in one punch. It was a much simpler time then and Farrah will always be that decades shining beacon.

We will miss you and never forget you.