Whimsical Wednesday - Farewell, Farrah

Whimsical Wednesday Farewell, Farrah

Tags: Ahmad Azrai | Whimsical Wednesday

Written by Ahmad Azrai

Tuesday, 30 June 2009 19:09

The Hairdo of the century has gone back to Heaven

ONCE upon a time there were three little girls who went to the Police Academy and they were each assigned very hazardous duties. But a man took them away from all that, and then they worked for him. His name was Charlie — and that was the start of TV history.

Yes, folks, I am referring to Charlie's Angels, a show that was once criticised as Jiggle TV by critics who never realised that that was what made it sell in the first place. And the reason we are taking this nostalgia trip down memory lane is because of the passing of one of the original Angels: the immortal Farrah Fawcett.

Ferrah Leni Fawcett was born on Feb 2, 1947, in Corpus Christi, Texas, and was the baby in a family of two daughters (the spelling was changed later). She was gorgeous from an early age, as attested by the fact that she appeared in a photo of the "Ten Most Beautiful Coeds" in Cashbox magazine. Yes, that really does sound sleazy — but frankly, who cares?!?

After moving to Los Angeles, Farrah did TV commercials before landing a guest spot on I Dream of Jeannie (in the 1968-1969 season) — yes, boys, she was that old, and I am sure the girls out there wish they could remain as gorgeous when they reach a similar age — but it was on March 21, 1976, that she appeared with Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith in Charlie's Angels.

The three Angels would get their instructions from a voicebox (the voice of John Forsythe — yes, THAT guy from Dynasty), which would involve them solving crimes and battling evil-doers. The fact that they happened to wear lovely costumes that did little to hide their fine figures probably helped — OK, OK, for the sake of credible journalism, it DID help.

Farrah herself apparently said, "When the show was number three, I figured it was our acting. When it got to be number one, I decided it could only be because none of us wears a bra." Not that you got to see their, err, golden globes — but any boy who grew up in the late 70s and early 80s would know what I am talking about when I say that

Farrah went on to have a very full life, shall we say. As well as being a critically-acclaimed actor (and she actually was good, believe it or not), she married Lee Majors, The Six Million Dollar Man himself. Hey, back in 1973, it was real money — nowadays, investment bankers would scoff at that figure, because it is not enough to buy a solid gold wastepaper basket with matching silk garbage bags.

After divorcing him, she had a string of men in her life (lucky bastards). She more or less settled on Ryan O'Neal — and though they never officially tied the knot, they did have a kid together. A drop-dead gorgeous woman who bagged some of the hottest men around would certainly be a target for jealousy, but Farrah was such a lovely person that everyone loved her.

However, the most iconic symbol of Farrah's flawlessness has got to be The Poster: you know the one I am talking about. She's wearing a red bikini and smiling while The Hair — so memorable, it deserves its capitalisation — cascades onto her shoulders. It was shot for Life magazine in 1976, and it is still a hot seller almost 40 years later. The Rachel may have been the look of the 90s, but it can only cry itself to sleep because it knows it's nowhere near as fantastic as the Farrah Do.

Sadly, all stories have an ending, and hers was not quite happy. Farrah Fawcett developed anal cancer in 2006 (now, now, keep your grubby thoughts to yourself) as well as liver cancer. Chemotherapy did not manage to save her completely, and she was in and out of hospitals for several years. She finally lost that battle last week, and the Angel once known as Jill Munroe died at 9.28am on June 25, 2009. Even more sadly, her death was rudely overshadowed a few hours later by the death of another icon: Michael Jackson. The shock of two big names dying on the same day is still being felt around the world.

So many have already sung their praises for the gorgeous girl from Texas. Hugh Hefner has been quoted as saying, "Farrah was one of the iconic beauties of our time. Her girl-next-door charm combined with stunning looks made her a star on film, TV and the printed page." Since we know that the Heff is an expert on women, that is high praise indeed.

As for me, I think that the lyrics to Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel) by Billy Joel are eloquent enough to send her off:

Goodnight, my angel
Time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another day
I think I know what you've been asking me
I think you know what I've been trying to say
I promised I would never leave you
And you should always know
Wherever you may go
No matter where you are
I never will be far away

Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to sleep
And still so many things I want to say
Remember all the songs you sang for me
When we went sailing on an emerald bay
And like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep
The water's dark and deep
Inside this ancient heart
You'll always be a part of me

Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life will be
Someday your child may cry
And if you sing this lullabye
Then in your heart
There will always be a part of me

Someday we'll all be gone
But lullabyes go on and on...
They never die
That's how you
And I
Will be

Farewell, Farrah, and thanks for the wonderful years. I am sure the Angels are welcoming you home.

Ahmad Azrai will play Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel) in Farrah's memory at his next piano practice, along with Man In The Mirror in Michael's memory as well. Rest in peace, you two.

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