Ryan O’Neal battled two types of cancer until the very end.
After his passing in 2023, Hollywood mourned a great actor – but his own son didn’t attend the funeral.
After a long battle with leukemia and prostate cancer, Ryan O’Neal passed away on December 8, 2023, at the age of 82. The cause of death was congestive heart failure. In the final images of O’Neal, it was evident that his health had significantly declined. The once-vibrant actor, known for his charm and charisma, appeared frail and weary.
The award-winning star rose to fame as the quintessential leading man in iconic films like the heart-wrenching Love Story and Stanley Kubrick’s historical epic Barry Lyndon. In his heyday, he was a genuine heartthrob, captivating audiences and earning the adoration of women everywhere.
Yet his personal life was often overshadowed by scandal, especially his tumultuous relationship with actress Farrah Fawcett. For those who may not remember, Farrah was a revolutionary figure in the 1970s, embodying a new kind of sex symbol that inspired both teenage boys and girls alike.
While boys were smitten with her beauty, girls aspired to emulate her iconic style. In the 1980s, she proved she was more than just a pretty face, showcasing her talents as an accomplished actress.
Incarcerated in a state hospital
In 1985, Ryan and Farrah welcomed a son, Redmond James Fawcett O’Neal, into the world. However, as Ryan was laid to rest, Redmond was notably absent from the ceremony. This was perhaps not surprising, given that the 38-year-old was incarcerated in a state hospital in California at the time of his father’s burial.
Redmond Fawcett O’Neal has lived a life marked by struggles with addiction to alcohol and drugs. He also suffers from health issues such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anti-social personality disorder.
These challenges have led to multiple incarcerations and a lengthy stay in a mental health facility. Despite Ryan O’Neal’s promise to Farrah Fawcett on her deathbed to care for Redmond, their relationship deteriorated to the point where Redmond refused to see his father during his treatment.
The situation was a stark contrast to the circumstances surrounding Redmond’s mother, Farrah, when she passed away in 2009.
At that time, Redmond was seen at her bedside in shackles. He also attended her funeral in the same restraints.
Three of four children absent
Many understood Redmond’s absence from the burial, but what was more shocking was that two of his other children were apparently also missing from the 82-year-old star’s small memorial service at Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
One of O’Neal’s sons, Griffin O’Neal, revealed that he wasn’t even invited to the ceremony.
“I’m the hated son who told the truth. There are dark times in this family. Love means never having to say you’re sorry — and Ryan never did, to anyone,” he said.
Griffin, the son from O’Neal’s first marriage to Joanna Moore, told the New York Post that he drove 2,000 miles from his home in Houston, Texas, to attend the memorial service.
However, upon arriving, he learned that the service wouldn’t take place until the weekend after Christmas.
“I wasn’t even invited to send him off,” Griffin O’Neal told The Post.
According to Griffin, he and his father hadn’t spoken in 17 years. Their relationship broke down after a violent altercation in 2007 at Ryan O’Neal’s home in Malibu, where Griffin allegedly swung a fireplace poker at his dad, and Ryan aimed a gun at him. “I could have hit him, but I missed,” O’Neal said.
Despite this history, Griffin still wanted to say goodbye to his father. However, that sentiment wasn’t shared by his brother, Patrick O’Neal, 57, a Los Angeles sportscaster who had grown closer to their dad in recent years.
It was Patrick who organized the funeral, according to The Post.
The memorial service was attended by only about 25 people, including Patrick’s mother, actress Leigh Taylor-Young, 79, Ryan’s second wife. Given the significant mark Ryan O’Neal left on Hollywood history, one might expect his memorial service to have been a grand affair.
Tatum O’Neal, Ryan’s daughter from his marriage to actress Joanna Moore, was also not there, according to The New York Post. Their complicated relationship went back many years.
“I’m a hopeless father. I don’t know why. I don’t think I was supposed to be a father,” O’Neal told Vanity Fair in 2009.
Reconciled with his daughter
Fortunately, Ryan and Tatum reconciled in the late 2000s after a 20-year estrangement and years of hardship.
Following a stroke due to a drug overdose in 2020, Tatum reunited with her father twice, including a visit to Malibu for his birthday in April 2023. It seems they grew closer just before Ryan’s passing.
“I feel great sorrow with my father’s passing,” Tatum said in a statement after his death.
“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,” Tatum added.
Redwood-colored coffin
According to the Daily Mail, the brief ceremony was held inside the chapel at the celebrity-heavy Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery.
Following the service, O’Neal’s redwood-colored coffin was taken to his final resting place beside his longtime partner, Farrah Fawcett.
After Farrah’s death, O’Neal publicly spoke of his regrets about their relationship. He said he felt he didn’t get enough time with her.
Despite the issues they had, the two of them were by each other’s side through thick and thin. Farrah took care of O’Neal when he was diagnosed with leukemia, and he had been by her side when she was battling anal cancer.
As a way to perhaps fulfill his wish to have been able to get more time with the late actress, O’Neal wanted to be buried next to the love of his life. In fact, half of Farrah’s large gravestone was left empty since her passing, awaiting the addition of Ryan O’Neal’s name.
Going against Farrah’s final wishes?
However, just like parts of their relationship, Farrah’s burial was not without controversy.
Fawcett’s college sweetheart from the University of Texas, Greg Lott, came forward, accusing O’Neal of going against Farrah’s final wishes.
“She never wanted a burial or a monument where people could come gawk at her,” Lott told The Post.
“Ryan created this narrative like it was this big love story, and they (Ryan and his lawyers) took over her life at the end, sedating her and forging documents.”
Craig Nevius, a friend of Farrah’s and the producer of the 2005 reality TV show Chasing Farrah, expressed similar thoughts:
“I don’t think he had the authority to decide that she would be buried and him later with her — but that’s clearly what he did,” Nevius said.
“It’s been so bizarre to see her name at the top of this big gravestone with nothing on the bottom. My guess is that his name will be on there soon, with the words ‘Love Story.’”
Love Story not inscribed on the gravestone
However, that did not happen; Love Story is not inscribed on the gravestone. Instead, both Farrah and Ryan’s names are engraved there, complete with their dates.
And the speculations that Ryan and his team forced anything through have been firmly dismissed. Alana Stewart, 79, Rod Stewart’s ex-wife and a longtime friend of Farrah, denied the accusations that O’Neal took advantage of her or exaggerated their relationship.
“He and Farrah loved each other deeply,” Stewart told The Post.
“She died in his arms, and she was there for him when he had leukemia. I saw their love as this great love story. Sure, it had its dark moments. He could be volatile, but Ryan could also be the sweetest, most generous, funniest guy in the world.”
Defends his father
Ryan O’Neal’s son, Patrick, also seems on a mission to defend his father, stating that he won’t allow anyone to tarnish the actor’s name without facing consequences.
“If you choose to talk s–t about my dad, even though you have no clue what you are talking about, you will get called out. If you go that route, I recommend you take a good look in the mirror first,” Patrick, a longtime sportscaster and current play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Angels, wrote on Instagram.
In September 2024, Patrick O’Neal directed sharp criticism at the Television Academy ahead of the Emmys on September 15.
“Tonight is the Emmys and I have zero confidence the @televisionacad will honor my dad for the ‘in memoriam’ segment. I am a member of the academy, and despite my best efforts, they would not tell me if this TV LEGEND will be on the telecast”, Patrick wrote on Instagram.
”The TV Academy failed miserably by not adding him back in January. I will not be watching the show, but rather enjoying a quality birthday dinner with my beautiful wife, Summer.”
Emmy’s controversy
Earlier in January, Patrick’s father had been omitted from the memorial tribute.
“Wasn’t watching #Emmys but someone let me know they left my dad out of the ‘in memoriam,’” Patrick posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Kind of wish I didn’t know right now but I would’ve found out. Sad and mad is a paralyzing combo.”
However, in September of this year, Patrick finally got to see his father honored.
“Thank you to the Television Academy for including my dad in the ‘in memoriam’ segment. I am posting a young Ryan just as he was embarking on a long-lasting TV career as an actor. He truly loved acting on television, and Rodney Harrington, aka Ryan O’Neal, would have something clever to say with full humility.”