Fawcett swimsuit donated to the Smithsonian

The famous red swimsuit worn by Farrah Fawcett in the photoshoot that made her name, and her fortune, has been donated to the Smithsonian Museum.

It was presented in a ceremony on what would have been her 64th birthday, during which her long-term partner Ryan O'Neal paid an emotional tribute to the actress who died of cancer two years ago.

The 1976 image was actually taken before she hit the big time as a star of the detective series Charlie's Angels, which debuted later the same year. The picture became one of the iconic images of the decade and sold around 12 million copies. The hairstyle sported by Fawcett for the shoot, and in Charlie's Angels, also caught on and became known as the Fawcett 'flick'.

The Smithsonian will display the swimsuit alongside other Fawcett memorabilia in its history of popular culture collection. The exhibit will feature a signed copy of the poster, a 'Farrah' doll, copies of magazines in which she appeared, scripts from the first season of Charlie's Angels and a styling kit for creating her trademark hairstyle.

At the ceremony, Fawcett's friend Nels Van Patten revealed how the then little-known actress did her own hair and makeup for the shoot without the aid of a mirror. He even claimed that she used lemon juice to get the highlights in her hair. She is said to have chosen the Speedo one-piece suit because it covered a childhood scar.

Fawcett is said to have chosen the final image from dozens of rolls of film taken by McBroom and made millions of dollars from the picture after securing the copyright for herself.

O'Neal paid tribute to his long time partner at the event. He told the audience: "I'm still having trouble with losing her." ·