Farrah Fawcett (62), who died on Thursday following a long battle with cancer, shot to fame in the 1970s following her starring role in the hit television series 'Charlie's Angels'.

But it was her appearance in an iconic poster just as her acting career was taking off that cemented her status as a full-fledged international sex symbol and pop culture icon for her times.

Fawcett was a little-known actress and model when she was approached by poster company Pro Arts Inc. in 1976 to take part in a photo shoot.

The subsequent photos of Fawcett — wearing a red swimsuit, flashing a dazzling smile, blonde hair cascading over her shoulders — would come to be the actress' defining image.

The poster went on to sell an astonishing 12 million copies and saw women the world over flock to hairdressers seeking to emulate the actress' distinctive layered, tumbling tresses, which came to be known as "Farrah Hair".

In 2007 GQ Magazine named the poster "the most influential piece of men's art of the last 50 years"; Fawcett's official website says the image has been bootlegged more than one billion times.

The release of the poster came just as 'Charlie's Angels' was broadcast for the first time.

The series — created by legendary television mogul Aaron Spelling — became one of the most successful shows of the decade and broke new ground in featuring women in the crime-busting lead roles.

Fawcett left the series after 29 episodes but never successfully made the leap into major Hollywood films.

However, her performance as a battered wife in television movie 'The Burning Bed' would later earn her Emmy nominations, she she also earned critical praise for her depiction of a rape victim in the stage and film version of 'Extremities'.

During the 1970s, Fawcett was married to 'Six Million Dollar Man' star Lee Majors, from whom she separated in 1979. In 1982 she began a long romance with actor Ryan O'Neal and the couple had a son together, Redmond in 1985.

After splitting from O'Neal in the 1990s Fawcett dated producer-director James Orr. Orr was later given three years probation for beating up the actress at his Bel Air mansion in 1997.

Speculation over Fawcett's personal life reached fever pitch in 1997 when she made a rambling incoherent appearance on David Letterman's talk show.

She continued to work however, appearing in Robert Altman's 2000 comedy 'Dr T and the Women' in a star-studded cast that included Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Laura Dern and Kate Hudson.

In recent years Fawcett's health was the subject of intense scrutiny by a voracious tabloid media.

News of her cancer fight broke in October 2006, sparking an outpouring of support from fans and well-wishers.

In 2007 she declared that months of grueling chemotherapy had seen her beat the cancer despite "excruciating pain and uncertainty." "It never occurred to me to stop fighting — not ever," she said.

However, in April this year it emerged that the cancer had returned and the actress was gravely ill.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published in May, Fawcett criticized the media frenzy over her health, saying she would have preferred to have kept details of her illness private.

"It's much easier to go through something and deal with it without being under a microscope," Fawcett said.

"It was stressful. I was terrified of getting the chemo. It's not pleasant. And the radiation is not pleasant."

"I'm a private person," she continued. "It would be good if I could just go and heal and then when I decided to go out, it would be OK."