Farrah Fawcett's Fight Against Anal Cancer

Mary Ferrah Leni Fawcett, otherwise known as Farrah Fawcett, was a model, television and film actress, cancer patient, and advocate perhaps best known for her role in Charlie’s Angels. Born in 1947, Farrah became an actress after moving to Hollywood to pursue modeling, debuting on the hit 1970’s television series Charlie’s Angels as her best known role, Jill Munroe. She was joined by her co-stars Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson. Farrah would go on to film other TV series and movies until the 2000s.

Unfortunately, in 2006, Farrah was diagnosed with anal cancer. She wasn’t the only Angel to face cancer in her life, as several of her co-stars were also diagnosed with breast cancer. In a panel celebrating their show’s 50th anniversary, Jaclyn, Kate, and Cheryl Ladd, who replaced Farrah in later seasons, reflected on the importance of sisterhood and community in their journeys as women with cancer. Jaclyn Smith opened up in a recent interview about how her last moments with Farrah reflected her tenacity. “She was a real hero,” Smith remarked, also sharing how Farrah retained her humor throughout her journey.

Patients most vulnerable to anal cancer are post-menopausal women, like Farrah when she was diagnosed, sexually-active gay men, and HIV-positive patients. This is because most cases of anal cancer are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. HPV is a common virus that can spread through skin-to-skin contact.

Anal cancer is rare, with an estimated 11,270 new cases in the United States for 2026 alone. Thankfully, the disease is very treatable when it is detected early, with a greater than 80% survival rate. Early detection and treatment prevents the need for more extensive surgical interventions; these may require patients to wear a colostomy bag post-operation and negatively affect their quality of life further.

Learn more: Living With A Stoma: Finding Comfort in a New Norm

After Farrah’s diagnosis, she started the Farrah Fawcett Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to supporting HPV-related cancer research, prevention programs and patient assistance funds for those in need. Farrah didn’t give up, seeking alternative treatments all the way to Germany in her 60’s. Her search for an anal cancer treatment did not go unrewarded, as she was declared cancer-free the following year, on her 60th birthday.

Unfortunately, the cancer was re-diagnosed a few months later after it had metastasized to her liver. Farrah died a few years later at 62 years old on June 25, 2009, the same day that another entertainment legend, Michael Jackson, passed away.

Alana Stewart, her close friend, asserted that the actress had already been experiencing symptoms while caring for her aging mother, but pushed back the medical consultation. As the cancer was already at Stage 4 when Farrah was diagnosed, Alana believed that if her friend had gotten treatment earlier, she would have survived the cancer.

While Farrah might have passed on, her legacy of resilience lives on. Along with Alana, Farrah documented her patient journey, and the videotapes eventually became the 2009 Emmy-nominated documentary Farrah’s Story. The Farrah Fawcett Foundation continues to have an active social media presence to this day, preserving Farrah’s legacy and continuing the good fight against anal cancer.