Farrah Fawcett, the "Charlie's Angels" star who became a poster girl for the 1970s generation, died at age 62 Thursday after a prolonged battle with cancer. NY1's movie critic Neil Rosen filed the following report.

Farrah Fawcett, the poster girl for a generation, was catapulted to TV stardom on the series "Charlie's Angels," and her unique hairstyle was copied by countless women in the 1970s.

Around the time that "Charlie's Angels" made its debut in 1976, Fawcett, sporting a red swimsuit and a toothy smile, was featured on a poster that went on to become one of the biggest sellers of all time.

For a time she was a sex symbol, but Fawcett quickly grew tired of appearing in the campy action TV series, so she dumped out of her contract early and decided that she wanted to be taken seriously as an actress.

Fawcett achieved that goal by appearing off-Broadway in the play "Extremities," where she played a rape victim who turns the tables on her attacker. She later starred in the 1986 movie version.

She also received critical praise for her role as a battered wife in the TV movie "The Burning Bed," which was based on a true story.

Fawcett was married to fellow actor Lee Majors, who was instrumental in launching her career. They eventually divorced and Fawcett got involved with another popular actor, Ryan O' Neal, who became her longtime partner.

In 1997 she appeared on "The Late Show With David Letterman," and her partly-incoherent ramblings left some to speculate that she was on drugs. Fawcett denied the allegations, claiming that she was simply nervous, but the incident became front-page tabloid news.

Despite the negative press, she continued to act and earned good notices for her work. She was chosen by director Robert Altman to appear in his film "Dr. T And The Women," and she turned in a solid performance.

In recent years, she was diagnosed with anal cancer and went public with her battle against the disease.

But ultimately Fawcett earned pop culture immortality for the unforgettable poster and her role in "Charlie's Angels."