Wow. Farrah Fawcett died this week. Sure, everyone dies. I know. But Farrah Fawcett . . . I had a special feeling for her for several reasons. Not the least of these is that she was born and grew up in my home town, Corpus Christi, Texas. She graduated from the same high school as I did, W. B. Ray High School, the Fighting Texans, albeit eleven years later.
Of course I didn't know this. I remember her first in the TV show The Six Million Dollar Man where she played against Lee Majors--and later married him. Then it was Charlie's Angels. Both were fun shows and I watched them occasionally, but I was not impressed. To be truthful it was the thoughtful Kate Jackson (Sabrina Duncan) for whom I lusted. I chalked Farrah Fawcett up as just another bit of Hollywood fluff. My opinion changed drastically when I saw her play the role in The Burning Bed, about domestic spousal abuse. This was followed by other dramatic parts which established that she was a serious actress. The ones I remember were Double Exposure: The Story of Margaret Bourke-White, and her role as the wife of Robert Duvall in The Apostle. All of these were excellent performances of serious subjects which demonstrated her abilities.
All through the 1970s through the '80s, she had been offered roles that would have shown her nude and she refused them. But she finally appeared in a feature in the 1995, December issue of Playboy. This became the largest circulation issue of the '90s. Then in 1997, at age 50, she was featured in a second pictorial in Playboy's July issue. This was the same year that she made The Apostle.
Since then, she has had several serious roles but in 2006 she was diagnosed with cancer and was treated. Despite an apparent remission the cancer was back in May of 2007. This time she chose to go to Germany for "alternative" treatments; eventually the cancer metastisized to her liver. Much of her fight against the cancer and with her struggle was filmed in a documentary, Farrah's Story, seen on NBC in May of this year.
Everyone dies. Not everyone touches me this way, especially not famous personalities like Farrah Fawcett. The airwaves are filled with eulogies for Michael Jackson. But it is Fawcett's death that has moved me. I dismissed her too quickly for, at the end, she showed just how much courage, openness, grace and good sense she had. Her documentary was intended not to point up the uniqueness of Farrah Fawcett, but to show how each of us faces life challenges in our own way and with our own strength can overcome, even in death. Farrah Fawcett has died, but she has overcome her challenges.
Rest in peace, Farrah Fawcett. And thank you.
Of course I didn't know this. I remember her first in the TV show The Six Million Dollar Man where she played against Lee Majors--and later married him. Then it was Charlie's Angels. Both were fun shows and I watched them occasionally, but I was not impressed. To be truthful it was the thoughtful Kate Jackson (Sabrina Duncan) for whom I lusted. I chalked Farrah Fawcett up as just another bit of Hollywood fluff. My opinion changed drastically when I saw her play the role in The Burning Bed, about domestic spousal abuse. This was followed by other dramatic parts which established that she was a serious actress. The ones I remember were Double Exposure: The Story of Margaret Bourke-White, and her role as the wife of Robert Duvall in The Apostle. All of these were excellent performances of serious subjects which demonstrated her abilities.
All through the 1970s through the '80s, she had been offered roles that would have shown her nude and she refused them. But she finally appeared in a feature in the 1995, December issue of Playboy. This became the largest circulation issue of the '90s. Then in 1997, at age 50, she was featured in a second pictorial in Playboy's July issue. This was the same year that she made The Apostle.
Since then, she has had several serious roles but in 2006 she was diagnosed with cancer and was treated. Despite an apparent remission the cancer was back in May of 2007. This time she chose to go to Germany for "alternative" treatments; eventually the cancer metastisized to her liver. Much of her fight against the cancer and with her struggle was filmed in a documentary, Farrah's Story, seen on NBC in May of this year.
Everyone dies. Not everyone touches me this way, especially not famous personalities like Farrah Fawcett. The airwaves are filled with eulogies for Michael Jackson. But it is Fawcett's death that has moved me. I dismissed her too quickly for, at the end, she showed just how much courage, openness, grace and good sense she had. Her documentary was intended not to point up the uniqueness of Farrah Fawcett, but to show how each of us faces life challenges in our own way and with our own strength can overcome, even in death. Farrah Fawcett has died, but she has overcome her challenges.
Rest in peace, Farrah Fawcett. And thank you.
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