For decades, Farrah Fawcett was remembered as the glamorous "Charlie's Angels" icon. But shortly before her death, she put something deeply personal in writing — revealing a side of herself few had ever seen.Fawcett's life changed dramatically after she became one of television's biggest stars in the 1970s. Her fame exploded with Charlie's Angels, but her friendship with her fellow Angels eventually became something much more intimate than a television partnership.
The three original stars — Fawcett, Kate Jackson and the actress who played Kelly Garrett — became unusually close while filming the hit series. They ate together in their trailers, shopped together on weekends and, as one of the actresses later recalled, had each other's backs like roommates in a college dorm.That longtime friend, Jaclyn Smith, was also the only original Angel to remain on the show for all five seasons. Fawcett left after the first season, while Jackson departed after Season 3, according to Fox News.
The friendship endured long after Fawcett left the series in 1977. She wanted to prove herself as a serious actress, a decision her friends supported, and she continued to march to the beat of her own drum.
Their Friendship Went Far Beyond the TV Set
Smith and Fawcett remained friends for roughly four decades, long after their time as television Angels had ended. "We were not just actresses working, but girlfriends, and it remained that way for 40 years," Smith previously recalled in an interview with People.
The relationship became particularly important when Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer. Smith said her husband, Brad Allen, helped Fawcett research treatment options, while the couple remained there for her "100 percent." Fawcett was remarkably open about the seriousness of her illness, even though it forced her to confront something she had never expected.
When she first told Smith about the diagnosis, she reportedly broke down and said, "I always thought I might get breast cancer or heart disease but never this," and started to cry. Smith said she never Instead, Fawcett became known for confronting her illness publicly and using her experience to help others. She eventually inspired the creation of the Farrah Fawcett Foundation, which raised money for cancer research and education. her cry after that moment.Smith had her own experience with cancer. According to Fox News, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and went into remission the following year after undergoing a lumpectomy and radiation treatment.
Afterward, Smith became an advocate for cancer research and participated in fundraising efforts with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She also attended an event for the Farrah Fawcett Foundation in 2014, five years after Fawcett’s death.
The Visits That Became Precious Smith began rubbing her friend’s feet to help her relax. According to the People interview, the two women talked for about three hours about their lives, their children, and growing up in Texas.
The Free Press and USA Today interview adds another small but strikingly ordinary detail to those final moments: Smith brought Pinkberry. She ultimately spent hours rubbing Fawcett’s feet, trying to make her friend comfortable. As People reported, Smith later said that the time she spent with Fawcett toward the end was the best because they appreciated their friendship.Then came the goodbye. In the Free Press and USA Today interview, Smith recalled that when they shared what would be their final hug, she sensed something different between them. "When you're close to somebody it's all about the energy," she explained. "With a hug, you feel their energy, and you feel part of them."
Then Came the Letter – and a Confession She Had Never Shared
Fawcett also left Smith something else: a letter accompanied by a sculpture depicting a torso, which Smith believes was created by Fawcett. The letter is included in Smith’s memoir, I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie, published by Simon & Schuster.The admission carried particular weight because, according to Smith, Fawcett had never been someone who seemed afraid. "She never feared anything in her life," Smith said.
The meaning behind the words was devastatingly simple: this was one battle Fawcett could not control. "In other words, there was no control on this one," Smith explained.Smith has spoken similarly about Fawcett’s final years before. Fox News reported that, in comments to an outlet in 2024, Smith said, "I think when I respected her most was at the end of her life," praising her for remaining positive and humorous despite the pain she endured.For Smith, that final chapter revealed more about Fawcett than all the years of fame that came before it. "Farrah knew I was there for [her] in so many different ways toward the end of her life. And that's what really counts."Fawcett died on June 25, 2009, at age 62. In the years since, her public image has remained closely tied to the glamour of the 1970s, but the memories shared by those closest to her have painted a much more personal portrait.
50 Years Later, Her Angel Legacy Lives OnThe poster sold millions of copies and became the best-selling poster of all time, according to Smithsonian curator Dwight Bowers. Even so, Smith’s memories of Fawcett tend to focus less on the glamorous icon and more on the friend who made cake, tried on shoes, and let someone rub her feet when she was hurting.
And now, through Smith's memoir, one final letter has added an unexpectedly vulnerable chapter to Fawcett's story — revealing that even the woman who once seemed fearless had eventually found herself facing something she could not simply charm, outrun, or control.Smith has said she misses Fawcett every day. "A lot of people are gone now, and that’s hard. I miss them, and it's okay to miss them." Meanwhile, recording the audiobook for her memoir proved emotional enough that Smith sometimes had to stop because she was crying. "It was difficult and exhausting. You think you're at a certain place and you go right back there."
Smith's memoir, I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie, is available wherever books are sold
Smith has now opened up about those decades of friendship in her memoir, I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press and USA Today, Smith revisited her bond with Fawcett as Charlie's Angels marks its 50th anniversary.
Smith has now opened up about those decades of friendship in her memoir, I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press and USA Today, Smith revisited her bond with Fawcett as Charlie's Angels marks its 50th anniversary.
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