Entertainment TV Farrah Fawcett: Remembering Her Glamorous Years in Photos From her iconic red swimsuit to her days as an angel, look back at how Fawcett became the sweetheart of the '70s By People Staff Updated on June 23, 2023 02:46PM EDT Close Known for her sun-kissed good looks and Charlie's Angels fame, Farrah Fawcett was both a television and beauty icon, rising to fame in the 1970s and 1980s thanks to her busy career and one very famous poster. On June 25, 2009, the actress died of anal cancer at 62 years old. Here, 14 years later, look back on her life in photos. 01 of 08 Farrah Fawcett the Pin-up Pie International The photo of Farrah Fawcett in her red swimsuit first appeared in Life magazine in 1976 as an image that defined a decade. The poster soon found a home on the walls of teenage boys' bedrooms, making Fawcett the most popular pin-up of her time, with 12 million copies sold. 02 of 08 Farrah Fawcett on 'Charlie's Angels' America's love affair with Fawcett began after she landed a role in producer Aaron Spelling's hit crime series Charlie's Angels. Though she only played Jill Munroe regularly for the premiere season, from 1976-77, it was enough to solidify her status as the breakout star of the show. 03 of 08 Farrah Fawcett on 'Charlie's Angels' Everett In a promotional shot for Charlie's Angels, Fawcett and her costars Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith strike a memorable pose — one that cemented their status as wholesome sex symbols. 04 of 08 Farrah Fawcett's Famous Hair Globe Voted "Beautiful Woman" by her high school classmates in Corpus Christi, Texas, the Southern blonde also captured Hollywood's attention with her signature tresses and mega-watt smile. She became the face of Wella Balsam shampoo and Ultra-Brite toothpaste. 05 of 08 Farrah Fawcett in 'Sunburn' Everett After leaving Charlie's Angels Fawcett tried her hand at the movies, starring in the 1979 film Sunburn, opposite Charles Grodin. The movie flopped, but Fawcett continued to have mass appeal. 06 of 08 Farrah Fawcett in 'Playboy' Courtesy Playboy Fawcett graced the December 1978 cover of Playboy. At 50, she did it again, making the December 1995 issue one of the best-selling issues of the magazine with more than 4 million copies sold worldwide. 07 of 08 Farrah Fawcett in 'The Burning Bed' MPTV In 1975, the then-aspiring actress went on to prove she wasn't just another pretty face. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Fawcett tackled gritty roles in both television and film, including critically praised performances in The Burning Bed (which earned her the first of four Emmy nominations) and The Apostle (for which she scored an Independent Spirit Award nomination). 08 of 08 Farrah Fawcett Dies Hulton Archive/Getty By the 2000s, she had guest spots on Ally McBeal and Spin City under her belt, but by the mid-2000s she was as known for her work as she was for her devastating anal cancer diagnosis. She died on June 25, 2009, at the age of 62. "I've watched her this past year fight with such courage and so valiantly, but with such humor," Fawcett's Charlie's Angels costar Kate Jackson told PEOPLE in November 2007. Famously in an on-again, off-again relationship with actor Ryan O'Neal, she had one son, Redmond.