Gwen Farrell Dies at 94 in Sherman Oaks
gwen farrell died on April 30, 2026, at 94 in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. Her death closes the life of a woman who moved from a brief screen career into California boxing, where she built a record that was unusually durable for the era.
Keith Farrell said she passed away from natural causes. Her family set up a GoFundMe page for funeral and burial expenses, and described her as a “guiding light” who “lived a life full of strength, character, and quiet resilience.”
Frank Adair and four children
The Los Angeles Times said Farrell was married three times and that all three marriages ended in divorce. It identified her third husband as Frank Adair, an LAPD detective who met her in 1979 and ran a boxing program for kids.
The same report said Farrell had four children. That gives her death a private cost beyond the public obituary: the family is now handling memorial expenses while also carrying the legacy of a mother who kept much of her personal life out of view.
1980 in California boxing
Farrell became a pioneering boxing referee and judge in California in 1980. She officiated over 700 fights and became the first woman to referee a world title fight, a line in the record books that still separates her from most of the sport’s officials.
Her family said she “earned the respect of fighters, trainers, and fans alike” and “broke barriers,” language that tracks with the scale of her work. Officiating more than 700 fights is not a symbolic résumé item; it is the sort of volume that turns a local trailblazer into a fixture in the sport.
Lovie Yancey’s daughter
Farrell was also the daughter of Lovie Yancey, the founder of the Fatburger restaurant chain. That family connection adds another layer to a life that stretched across entertainment, business, and boxing without ever settling neatly into one lane.
For readers who knew Farrell only as a name from old credits or boxing history, the practical takeaway is simple: her record is now closed, and the remaining story is preservation. The work left behind is the kind that gets measured in fights officiated, barriers crossed, and the people close to her who are now asking for help with her burial costs.
