Farrah Fawcett's Red Swimsuit Going to Smithsonian

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) The red swimsuit that helped make Charlie's Angels actress Farrah Fawcett an icon is going to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

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Fawcett who died of cancer at age 62 in June 2009, was best known for her starring role in the classic TV show, "Charlie's Angels." She played one of three sexy, police-trained martial arts experts, taking assignments from a rich, mysterious boss named Charlie.

The program, which debuted in September 1976, co-starred Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith.

Ryan O'Neal, Fawcett's longtime companion with whom she had a 17-year relationship, will donate the swimsuit along with other items to the Smithsonian  today, which would have been Fawcett's 64th birthday. A 1976 poster of her in the dampened red swimsuit sold millions of copies. This swimsuit, along with her feathered blond hair and dazzling smile, made her one of the biggest sex symbols of the 1970s.

Other items going to the Smithsonian include Fawcett's copies of scripts from the first season of  "Charlie's Angels" and a 1977 Farrah Fawcett doll. The items will be part of the museum's collection of popular culture history.