Farrah Fawcett a reigning symbol of American pop culture who never quite managed to escape the one electrifying role that made her that symbol — as one of “Charlie’s Angels” — has died today after last rites. She was 62, and had been suffering from anal cancer, which had recently spread to her liver.

A near-mythic figure of ’70s TV screen and pinup poster fame, with her radiant grin and bounteous hair, Fawcett became a cultural star — at one time adored, then mimicked by fans, and mobbed by paparazzi. She was one of those uniquely Hollywood/tabloid creations who was famous simply because … she was famous.