Farrah Fawcett Struggles To Cut Her ‘Famous Feathered Hair’ During Chemo In New TV Special

A documentary following Farrah Fawcett’s battle against cancer aired on May 23, a decade after the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ star passed away. New footage showed Farrah’s final moments with her iconic mane.

Farrah Fawcett’s feathered, swept away ‘do was one of the most popular hairstyles of the ’70s and ’80s. With such a claim to fame, it was heartbreaking for the late Charlie’s Angels star to part with her bombshell hair during chemotherapy treatment in 2008 before passing away in 2009, which fans were given a new look at in the documentary This Is Farrah Fawcett. ABC News aired the two-hour special on May 23, and in the clip above, Farrah’s friends and doctor revealed what was going through the legendary actress’ mind before shaving her head.

“When her hair was finally being lost, she had no attachment to it whatsoever. But when it first came out, she was very afraid about losing her hair,” a friend, Patrick Foley, said in the documentary. Leading up to the final haircut, Farrah fought and fought. “She had done everything to keep from losing it and the last round of chemo she had, she lost her hair. And that was hard for her,” another friend, Alana Stewart, said in the documentary. Alana had decided with Farrah that they’d film her fight with anal cancer.

The new footage actually shows a third friend combing through the blonde beauty’s hair, only for strands to fall out on the floor. “I’m sticking it in my pockets and hiding it, and she still had this beautiful thick head of hair no matter how much was coming out,” the friend recalled. Ultimately, Farrah wanted to be the one who removed all her hair. “It was very important for Farrah to shave her own head, so that she was removing her hair, and cancer treatment wasn’t removing her hair, kind of like that fine line between being a victim and a victor,” Dr. Lawrence Piro told ABC News.

Right before Farrah passed away at the age of 62 on June 25, 2009, the documentary Farrah’s Story aired and was even nominated for an Emmy. Farrah was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006, and was deemed cancer-free by 2007 after the removal of a tumor. A doctor’s visit three months later led to a tragic discovery: the stage 4 cancer had returned and spread to her liver. As one of Hollywood’s most beloved faces, Farrah was beautiful right up to the end of her memorable life.