Fawcett's Private Funeral Set For Tuesday. Will the Paparazzi Stay Away?

Actress Farrah Fawcett, who died Thursday morning after a lengthy battle with cancer, will be honored and mourned in a private funeral service on Tuesday, according to the Huffington Post. The Catholic service is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Downtown. Fawcett's death at age 62 last week after a brave and public struggle to fight multiple and spreading cancers was soon eclipsed--some believe unduly, some say mercifully--by the sudden death of Michael Jackson. Her illness was something she had hoped to keep private, "but a UCLA Medical Center employee pleaded guilty in late 2008 to violating federal medical privacy laws for commercial purposes by selling records of Fawcett and other celebrities to the National Enquirer," explains KTLA.

How much true privacy the public and the paparazzi will grant Fawcett's friends and family come Tuesday afternoon remains to be seen. The celebrity-obsessed media, propelled by popular and persistent outlets like TMZ, often rely on unscrupulously obtained tips and information; Jackson's death at UCLA Medical Center was first reported by TMZ, but not widely accepted by the public until confirmed by sources like the LA Times or CNN.

Fawcett's services will likely be attended by celebrities. In addition, her son Redmond O'Neal has received special permission to leave the Los Angeles County Jail for the event.