Tatum O’Neal is mourning the lack of her father, Ryan O’Neal, following this demise.
“I feel great sorrow with my father’s passing,” Tatum, 60, instructed Folks on Friday, December 8, hours after Ryan’s passing was confirmed. “He meant the world to me. I loved him very much and know he loved me too. I’ll miss him forever and I feel very lucky that we ended on such good terms.”
Ryan’s eldest son, Patrick O’Neal, confirmed the actor’s demise at age 82 earlier on Friday. “My dad passed away peacefully today with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us,” he wrote by way of Instagram.
“My father Ryan O’Neal has always been my hero. I looked up to him and he was always bigger than life,” Patrick continued “When I was born in 1967 my dad was already a TV star on Peyton Place. That’s where he met my mom Leigh Taylor-Young, and about 9 months later (give or take a date night or two) I was born.”
Patrick described his father as a “Hollywood legend. Full stop,” noting that the identify Ryan “peaked” after he appeared within the 1970 movie Love Story, which “saved Paramount Studios and earned my dad a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
Patrick shared that Ryan was “so skilled at his craft, worked so hard and just loved acting plain and simple,” including that he was “highly intelligent,” an “avid reader” and a “journal writer.” He concluded his message by saying that his dad lived “a kick-ass life” and “never bragged” however had “bragging rights in Heaven.”
He concluded the heartfelt tribute, “I’ll miss you dad. I love you. We love you.”
Ryan, who was recognized for his roles in Paper Moon, Love Story, Peyton Place, The Driver and extra, was the daddy of 4 youngsters: Tatum and son Griffin O’Neal, whom he welcomed with first spouse Joanna Moore in 1963 and 1964, respectively; Patrick, 56, whom he shared with ex-wife Leigh Taylor-Younger; and Redmond O’Neal, whom he welcomed with Farrah Fawcett in 1985. (Ryan and Farrah had been romantically linked for 30 years till her demise in 2009.)
All through his life, Ryan made headlines for his ups and downs together with his youngsters. He and Griffin, 59, bought into notorious altercations in 1983 and 2007, whereas he was arrested with son Redmond, 38, in 2008 for alleged drug possession. He was additionally typically estranged from Tatum as she confronted her personal battle with habit.
“How would I feel if my father were to, say, get sick or die even? Would I be OK? And I realized that I wouldn’t be OK,” Tatum requested throughout a clip of the pair’s 2011 short-lived actuality present, Ryan and Tatum: The O’Neals, in line with CNN. “So I knew I needed to make an effort, because what is your life without your family? What’s your life without a father?”
The pair ultimately reunited in September 2020 alongside together with her three youngsters — Kevin, 37, Sean, 36, and Emily, 32 — whom she shares with ex-husband John McEnroe.
“This is one of the most memorable photos of my life,” Sean wrote by way of Instagram on the time. “The last time we were all together was at the 30-year Paper Moon Anniversary in 2003. I could cry tears of gratitude that everyone in this photo is still alive and that we were all able to come together again after so many years of hardship. The entire West Coast is burning, but if the O’Neal can reconcile, truly anything is possible.”