Charlie's Angels star Farrah Fawcett battled cancer tooth and nail for her son Redmond, assistant says
Mike Pingel, Farrah Fawcett's former assistant, spoke to Fox News Digital about the late "Charlie's Angels" star's grueling fight with anal cancer. The iconic poster girl passed away in 2009 at age 62.
Farrah Fawcett’s close friend Alana Stewart is opening up about the "Charlie's Angels" star's relationship with longtime love Ryan O’Neal.
The actress died in the "Love Story" actor’s arms in 2009 at age 62. The cause of death was anal cancer.
Stewart, who runs The Farrah Fawcett Foundation, an organization launched by her pal, confirmed to People magazine on Tuesday that the two are buried next to each other at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
RYAN O'NEAL'S 'LOVE STORY' CO-STAR ALI MACGRAW PAYS TRIBUTE TO LATE ACTOR: 'HUGE PART OF MY SUCCESS'
Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal had a 17-year on-again, off-again relationship. (CBS via Getty Images)
"I don’t think he ever really got over her dying," the 79-year-old told the outlet. "And now it’s sad because he’s gone, but I always think about them being together."
"She basically died in his arms," said Stewart. "I don’t think he was ever the same, because she was definitely the love of his life, and he was the love of her life."
O’Neal passed away in 2023 at age 82.
Fawcett and O’Neal fell in love while she was married to Lee Majors, the star of "The Six Million Dollar Man." According to the outlet, sparks flew after Majors asked O’Neal to check in on his wife while he was away filming.
"She basically died in his arms… I don’t think he was ever the same, because she was definitely the love of his life, and he was the love of her life."
"We sat and kissed and kissed until our lips were bloody," Ryan O'Neal told the Los Angeles Times about their first date. (Getty Images)
Fawcett and O’Neal began dating in 1979, when she and Majors separated before divorcing in 1982. They went on to have a 17-year on-again, off-again relationship. They welcomed a son, Redmond O’Neal, in 1985.
The outlet noted that the two broke up in 1997 but reconnected in 2001 after O’Neal was diagnosed with leukemia. They never married.
"She and Ryan, when they were home with their son, and he was very little, she cooked the meals," said Stewart. "And when she had to go away on location for something because she was working a lot then, they would pack the whole family up and go."
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
"I was so overwhelmed by this mental and physical attraction for him that I didn't think about anything except what was happening right there," Farrah Fawcett told Life magazine. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
"Her home life was a more normal life in that regard," said Stewart. "It was just when she went out in public, people went crazy."
When Fawcett was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, O’Neal stayed by her side.
"Even 'til the end, she was still fighting, and Ryan was there the whole time; from the time she was diagnosed with cancer, he was there," Stewart told the outlet.
Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal shared a son, Redmond. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Alana Stewart said Ryan O'Neal never got over Farrah Fawcett's death. (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage/Getty Images)
In 2023, Stewart told Fox News Digital that Fawcett was exhibiting symptoms while she was taking care of her mother in Texas for a couple of months. The matriarch passed away in 2005 at age 91.
"Her mother was dying," Stewart recalled. "And then she started having a few symptoms while she was there [in Texas] but ignored them. She was taking care of her mom and that was her focus. But when she came back, Ryan said, ‘You’ve got to go to the doctor and get this checked out.’ So she did. They did a colonoscopy and that’s when they found it."
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Alana Stewart, left, heads The Farrah Fawcett Foundation, which was founded by her friend. (Getty Images)
"That’s part of our mission statement – awareness and prevention," said Stewart. "It’s so important to catch things early. Maybe when she started having symptoms, if she had listened to her body and had gone to a doctor, then maybe the outcome might have been different. It’s so easy to put aside any symptoms because you think, ‘Oh, it’s not serious,’ or, ‘I’ll just deal with it next week, next month.'"
WATCH: CHARLIE'S ANGELS STAR FARRAH FAWCETT BATTLED CANCER TOOTH AND NAIL FOR HER SON REDMOND, ASSISTANT SAYS
"With cancer, early detection is everything," Stewart stressed. "So many cancers can be cured now if you catch them early enough. With Farrah, hers was already Stage 4. If she had done something about the symptoms early on, she could very well be alive today."
Stewart said that during Fawcett's cancer battle, she and O’Neal leaned on each other for support.
Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal got back together in 2001. They remained together until her death in 2009. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"He was there by her side every moment," said Stewart. "We didn’t want to admit that things weren’t looking good. I don’t think Farrah did either. She was determined to keep on fighting. And we were going to be there for her. But I think there came a time when we all just looked at each other and just knew. She wasn’t going to get better."
Trending
Fox News Entertainment
Get a daily look at the top news in music, movies, television and more in the entertainment industry.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.