Fawcett leaves strong legacy

Even in death, Farrah Fawcett was outshone by other, bigger names. The Charlie's Angels star succumbed to cancer on Thursday at the age of 62 and was the top subject of discussion on networking site Twitter all day.

But shortly after entertainment website TMZ reported Michael Jackson's death from a heart attack, the Gloved One, was the most talked-about on Twitter, dominating the top two comment trends.

Jackson's final exit also meant no one was now talking about American television star Ed McMahon, who was hailed an American cultural icon after he died on Tuesday. Indeed, by yesterday afternoon, the only new comments on social networks about Fawcett and McMahon tried to link their deaths to Jackson's, referencing the myth that people die in threes.

But while Fawcett's turn on the 1970s show should have consigned her to a footnote in entertainment history, her up-and-down career and public battle with cancer could give her a lasting legacy as an icon of 1970s pop culture.

Fawcett's dazzling smile, flowing blonde hair and red bathing suit sold millions posters and, in later years, Playboy magazines – while her on-again, off-again romance with actor Ryan O'Neal made headlines.

In her career, she struggled to be taken seriously as an actress and although her body of work was small, her roles in the 1980s dramas Extremities and The Burning Bed won her award nominations.

But it is Farrah's Story that will ensure she is remembered. In the gruelling TV documentary of her fight against cancer, she managed to create something that looked into the heart of darkness in a way many TV and film productions never do. (With agency inputs)

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