Ryan O’Neal was laid to rest Saturday next to longtime love Farrah Fawcett at the Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles — two weeks after his death at the age of 82 from congestive heart failure.
According to the Daily Mail, the Oscar nominee’s intimate funeral drew about 25 people, including ex-wife Leigh Taylor-Young, whom he was married from 1967-74; their son Patrick O’Neal, 56; and Fawcett’s best friend, Alana Stewart, 78.
Fawcett — who died of cancer in 2009 at the age of 62 — began her tumultuous on-and-off-again love affair with O’Neal in 1979 after being introduced by her then-husband, Lee Majors.
She and Majors divorced in 1982. The “Charlie’s Angels” alum gave birth to son Redmond O’Neal in 1985 after refusing the “Paper Moon” actor’s marriage proposal.
They split in 1997.
Fawcett and O’Neal reunited in 2001 after the “What’s up, Doc?” actor was diagnosed with leukemia.
The couple remained inseparable until Fawcett died in 2009.
He told The Post at the time that he had asked Fawcett to marry him and she had said yes.
But her health took a grave turn for the worse and they couldn’t tie the knot in time.
“He never left her side, especially those last few months,” Stewart told People in 2019. “I think they would’ve married if she had made it because he asked her to marry him in the hospital and she said yes.”
“But [Fawcett] took a turn for the worse. This was just a few weeks before the end, so perhaps it wasn’t realistic,” Stewart continued. “The two of them had a deep bond and deep love. No matter what they went through, the ups and downs, he was the one she wanted by her side.”
The two-time Golden Globe nominee died on Dec. 8 of “congestive heart failure” after suffering “cardiomyopathy” for years, according to O’Neal’s death certificate.
Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cardiomyopathy “occurs when the heart muscle’s ability to pump blood is reduced, which can lead to irregular heartbeats, the backup of blood into the lungs or rest of the body, and heart failure.”
O’Neal’s middle son, Patrick, confirmed his father’s death via Instagram.
“So this is the toughest thing I’ve ever had to say but here we go. My dad passed away peacefully today, with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us,” he wrote.
“My father Ryan O’Neal has always been my hero. I looked up to him and he was always bigger than life,” Patrick continued. “As a human being, my father was as generous as they come. And the funniest person in any room. And the most handsome clearly, but also the most charming. Lethal combo.”
“He loved to make people laugh. It’s pretty much his goal. Didn’t matter the situation, if there was a joke to be found, he nailed it. He really wanted us laughing. And we did all laugh. Every time. We had fun. Fun in the sun,” the statement continued. “As my father, he was second to none. The best and most loving and supportive dad, and I am just so lucky to have had him.”
“We loved playing/watching sports together. Some great frisbee throws on the beach that would last all weekend long. For years. That was our bond,” Patrick concluded.
O’Neal is survived by four children — Tatum, Griffin, Patrick, and Redmond O’Neal — and five grandchildren.
Source link
