When American Actor Lee Majors met Farrah Fawcett, she was a young college beauty driven to Hollywood by her parents. That encounter sparked a famous love story.
Lee Majors was born in Kentucky but sadly lost both his parents before he was two years old. He was able to go through college by playing football for Eastern Kentucky State College. Unfortunately, shoulder, knee, and recurrent busted nose injuries blew his chances of becoming a professional football player.
He left Kentucky for Los Angeles to become a high school coach and join the recreational department. He was instead introduced to acting by some of his football friends.
After Majors had studied and crawled in the movie industry, he rose to fame as the character Heath. The character was Barbara Stanwyck’s rascal son on the popular ABC network series “The Big Valley.”
The actor later appeared in TV shows like “Owen Marshall” and “The Men From Shiloh.” Due to these performances, he was cast in 1973 on “Million Dollar Man.”
Majors confessed he was glad and humbled to have been given the role. The role launched him into so much fame that he could not go into bars anymore because all the guys would want to arm wrestle him.
FARRAH FAWCETT
Fawcett was born to a father who was a Corpus Christi oilfield contractor, and she grew up as a diligent Catholic in Texas. She attended the University of Texas and was voted the college beauty queen.
A publicity agent spotted her picture and invited her to Hollywood. Two years later, Fawcett was driven by her parents to Hollywood. She landed roles as a model and started making guest appearances on commercials for products ranging from shampoo to toothpaste.
MEETING LEE MAJORS
After she arrived in Hollywood, a publicist who worked for Lee Majors spotted her picture. Consequently, the actor left her a message in the rooming house she was staying.
He had called to invite Fawcett to dinner at 7:30 p.m., a move that allegedly annoyed her. Majors then called her back sometime later to apologize for his audaciousness.
Eventually, when he arrived, Fawcett reportedly melted into a thousand pieces. She fell in love with him at first sight. Majors took her to a disco where she ordered coke and scotch.
The date was cut short when she anxiously excused herself to get sick in the ladies’ room. The next day, the actor sent her 13 yellow roses. Majors also had this to say about Fawcett:
“She’s so gorgeous […] she’s like a little girl. So cute, so beautiful inside[…]”
MARRIAGE AND STARDOM
Lee Majors had married when he was 17 years old back in Kentucky. He had a child named Lee Jnr. with the woman he married but was divorced when he met Fawcett – they got married in 1973.
When they married, Majors starred as a bionic robot in “The Six Million Dollar Man.” Fawcett was his biggest supporter.
She was also modeling for brands like Ultra Brite, Noxzema, and Wella Balsam. Their marriage criteria included a rule for Fawcett to be home from work engagements on time to cook for him.
The couple lived in a beautifully adorned French house in Bel Air, over the hill from Wilt Chamberlain. She also fondly called her husband a big “grump head.”
Lee Majors was skeptical about Fawcett getting into the TV business, as he was worried about the people she would have to work with. Fawcett claimed she had the same insecurities about him.
In 1976, Fawcett rose to fame when casting directors picked her to act in “Charlie’s Angels.” The movie poster, which showed Fawcett in a red one-piece bathing suit, sold 12 million copies.
Actress Farrah Fawcett and actor Lee Majors on June 10, 1977 arrive at the Los Angeles International Airport | Source: Getty Images
“Charlie’s Angels” turned her into a super celebrity and a sex symbol idolized by both men and women. The hairstyle she donned in the poster became known as the “Farrah Do” and was recreated worldwide.
The movie became a worldwide hit, with Fawcett playing an undercover crime-fighting agent with two other ladies. She and her husband Majors soon found it hard to get away from the Paparazzi whenever they stepped out.
DIVORCE
Fawcett announced she and Majors would be separating at the beginning of her nationwide tour to promote her soon-to-be-released movie “Sunburn.”
The actress was 32 at the time, and after 11 years of marriage, declared she would be moving out of the Bel Air mansion the couple shared. She explained that when she got married to Majors, his expectations required a wife to clean his house, cook his meals, and be dependent.
She further admitted that she still likes to cook his meals and clean his house, but she cannot be dependent anymore. The actress declared she felt bad for him as he was trying to be understanding and protective.
The cracks in their marriage were reportedly due to Fawcett’s sudden fame and work commitments. The pair had both left TV at the peak of their careers to make movies.
Fawcett left the series “Charlie’s Angels” just after a year while the movies Majors had appeared in after “The Six Million Dollar Man” were not doing well commercially.
After leaving “Charlie’s Angels,” fans were angry and accused her of disloyalty. The movie industry stopped offering her roles because they believed she was a sex symbol who wanted to be an actress.
She explained people tried to make her feel guilty about it but that she would not give up. She wanted to rely on herself more, which led to her relying less on her advisers and her husband.
The actress admitted that Majors believed she did not need him anymore, but that was not true; she wanted their relationship to be different. They separated in 1979 and finalized their divorce in 1982.
HER DEATH
After her separation from Lee Majors, Fawcett started a relationship with actor Ryan O’Neal, known for appearing in the movie “Love Story” in 1970.
The couple were involved for two decades and had a son together, Redmond. Even though they never married, their long-lasting relationship is tagged as a great one in Hollywood.
They broke up in 1997 after 17 years, but they reunited when O’Neal was diagnosed with cancer four years later. Fawcett stayed with him till he recovered, but she was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.
Fawcett also sadly lost her mother the same year she was diagnosed with anal cancer. The disease was so rare at the time that it only affected about 5 Americans yearly.
She started treatment at The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute led by Doctor Lawrence Piro. Even though her cancer was not curable, it was treatable.
O’Neal moved in with Fawcett and traveled with her to Germany for aggressive cancer treatment. She, unfortunately, died at the St. John’s Hospital located in Santa Monica, California, at 62.
MAJORS’ SPEAKS ABOUT FAWCETT
Soon after the news of her departure broke, Majors released a statement in which he declared he and his wife Faith were saddened to hear of Fawcett’s passing.
He explained that she fought a tremendous fight against a terrible disease and declared she was an angel of Earth. Majors also spoke to People Magazine about their marriage. He explained he was the one that picked out her viral “Charlie’s Angels” poster photo.
The actor also pulled up a magazine picture that appeared in a 1977 edition cover of People Magazine. He and Fawcett were running towards a camera in the photo.
Majors explained he and Fawcett communicated some time before her death. He explained their marriage was complicated because of their careers as they both worked 14 hours a day.
Lee Majors speaks onstage during the ‘Ash vs. Evil Dead’ panel discussion at the Starz portion of the 2016 Television Critics Association Summer Tour at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California | Source: Getty Images
He stated there was a particular year he only saw her for two weeks. However, Majors said he was also proud he and his current wife had been together for more than two decades.
At the time, the actor voiced Jeff Tracy in “Thunderbirds Are Go” as he liked to keep working even at the age of 84 years.