Ryan O’Neal’s life was marked by fame, controversy, and complex relationships — and even in death, his story continues to stir emotion.
The Hollywood actor passed away on December 8, 2023, at the age of 82 after battling leukemia and prostate cancer. The official cause of death was congestive heart failure. In his final photos, the once-vibrant star looked visibly diminished, far removed from the heartthrob who once charmed audiences in Love Story and Barry Lyndon.
At the peak of his career, O’Neal was admired as one of the most desirable leading men of his time. But his personal life was rarely as polished. His long, turbulent relationship with Charlie’s Angels icon Farrah Fawcett was the subject of both tabloid fascination and deep public sympathy. Fawcett, remembered not only for her iconic image but also for her acting talent, shared a passionate, if rocky, bond with O’Neal.
In 1985, the couple had a son, Redmond James Fawcett O’Neal. But Redmond’s life has been difficult. At the time of his father’s funeral, he was incarcerated in a California state hospital, struggling with a history of substance abuse and mental health issues, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and antisocial personality disorder.
Though Ryan had once promised Farrah he would take care of their son, Redmond ultimately refused to see his father during treatment. The situation stood in stark contrast to when Farrah passed away in 2009, as Redmond was shackled at her bedside and attended her funeral under the same conditions.
Redmond wasn’t the only absent child at Ryan O’Neal’s funeral. Two of his other children also did not attend the small service held at Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery. Griffin O’Neal, Ryan’s son with actress Joanna Moore, said he wasn’t even invited.
“I’m the hated son who told the truth,” Griffin told The New York Post. “There are dark times in this family. Love means never having to say you’re sorry — and Ryan never did, to anyone.”
Despite not speaking to his father for 17 years after a violent altercation, Griffin still made the journey from Texas to Los Angeles in hopes of saying goodbye, only to find the memorial had been scheduled for a later date.
Patrick O’Neal, Ryan’s youngest son and a well-known sportscaster, was the one who organized the memorial, which was attended by only about 25 people, including actress Leigh Taylor-Young, Patrick’s mother and Ryan’s second wife.
Ryan’s daughter, Tatum O’Neal, was also reportedly absent. Her relationship with her father had long been strained. In 2009, Ryan admitted to Vanity Fair, “I’m a hopeless father. I don’t think I was supposed to be a father.”
However, before his passing, Ryan and Tatum had reconciled after decades of estrangement. Following a drug overdose and stroke in 2020, Tatum reconnected with her father, visiting him twice, including on his birthday in April 2023. In a heartfelt statement after his death, she shared: “He meant the world to me… I feel very lucky that we ended on such good terms.”
Ryan O’Neal was laid to rest beside Farrah Fawcett. His redwood-colored coffin was carried to the celebrity-heavy Westwood cemetery, where her gravestone had long left space for him. Though their romance was complicated, their final resting place is shared — perhaps in an attempt to preserve the love they once had.
But even that choice came with controversy. Farrah’s former college sweetheart, Greg Lott, accused O’Neal of overriding Farrah’s final wishes. According to Lott, she had never wanted a public burial and monument.
Craig Nevius, a friend of Farrah’s and producer of her 2005 show Chasing Farrah, echoed that sentiment, claiming O’Neal and his team took control at the end of her life.
In contrast, longtime friend Alana Stewart defended Ryan, insisting he never took advantage of Farrah and that theirs was a profound, if flawed, love. “She died in his arms… He could be volatile, but Ryan could also be the sweetest, most generous, funniest guy in the world,” she told The Post.
Patrick O’Neal has remained vocal in defending his father’s legacy. He responded strongly to anyone criticizing Ryan publicly, warning they’d be “called out” for spreading misinformation. Patrick has also spoken out against the Television Academy after his father was left out of the “In Memoriam” segment during the January 2024 Emmys.
“I have zero confidence the @televisionacad will honor my dad,” he wrote on Instagram ahead of the September broadcast. “Despite my best efforts, they would not tell me if this TV LEGEND will be on the telecast.”
Earlier that year, after the January omission, Patrick had posted his outrage: “Sad and mad is a paralyzing combo.” But he was finally able to share some closure when Ryan was included in the revised segment later that fall.
Ryan O’Neal’s life was filled with cinematic highs and personal lows. And while his family may have been fractured, the impact he left on screen and in the hearts of many remains indelible.
