America's "Angel" Laid to Rest in Private Ceremony
By SANDY COHEN
Updated 5:29 AM EST, Wed, Jul 1, 2009
LOS ANGELES -- Friends and family celebrated Farrah Fawcett's life at a private funeral in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Fawcett's longtime companion, Ryan O'Neal, was among pallbearers who accompanied the casket, covered in yellow and orange flowers, into the Roman Catholic cathedral Tuesday afternoon. O'Neal had hoped to marry Fawcett, his girlfriend of 27 years, before she died, but the pair didn't have the chance.
Fawcett's friend Alana Stewart and "Charlie's Angels" co-star Kate Jackson were among early arrivals before the hearse arrived, accompanied by 10 motorcycle officers. Former model Cheryl Tiegs also attended the funeral, Reuters reported.
The funeral program said Fawcett's and O'Neal's 24-year-old son, Redmond, was to do the service's first reading. He has been jailed in a drug case but received a judge's permission to attend the funeral. He was not seen outside the cathedral, however.
The program, which featured a photograph of a smiling Fawcett, also said Ryan O'Neal was to read the 23rd Psalm, and eulogies were to be given by Stewart and Dr. Lawrence Piro, Fawcett's cancer specialist.
Fans and news media watched from across a street. The service was closed to the public.
Fawcett, 62, died on June 25 after a long battle with anal cancer. Her fight was detailed in an NBC documentary last month called "Farrah's Story." Her death, while expected, was largely overshadowed by the passing of pop icon Michael Jackson, who died on the same day. But memorials have been pouring in for the actress ever since she died last Thursday.
"Farrah had courage, she had strength, and she had faith. And now she has peace as she rests with the real angels," said Jaclyn Smith, a former costar of the actress told People Magazine. "Farrah had courage, she had strength, and she had faith. And now she has peace as she rests with the real angels.”
While no public memorials have been slated for the late actress, fans may have one more chance to celebrate the actress and model. Fawcett is being considered for a posthumous Emmy award for her producing work on "Farrah's Story." Fawcett died just hours before voting closed for the 2009 nominations. If she wins the nomination it would be her fourth time as a nominee.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations to support cancer research be made to The Farrah Fawcett Foundation, P.O. Box 6478, Beverly Hills, Calif., 90212.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC New York
First Published: Jun 30, 2009 12:20 AM EST
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