Ryan O’Neal Turns 82: He’s Seen in Rare Pic with Daughter He Left ‘At the Curb’ Love of His Life’s Portrait

• Ryan O’Neal was not there to physically support his daughter Tatum when she became the youngest competitive Oscar winner for her role in “Paper Moon.” And soon, he disappeared from his daughter’s life, abandoning her “at the curb” after her mom lost custody of Tatum and her brother. But after decades of estrangement, the time came when Tatum remained one of the closest people to Ryan after the death of the love of his life. Tatum tenderly hugs her 82-year-old dad, who still looks like “a heartthrob” on his birthday with a portrait of his “angel” Farrah in the background, which he once had to fight for. Ryan O’Neal recently celebrated his 82nd birthday!
• His daughter Tatum shared a rare picture of them together.
• The father and daughter have come a long way to fixing their 20-year fractured relationship

Former boxer and one of Hollywood’s leading men, Ryan O’Neal, recently turned 82. He was celebrated by his beloved daughter Tatum.

She shared a sweet picture of her and her father smiling, sitting on the edge of the bed, and Tatutm holding on to her dog.

The father and daughter have come a long way after mending a 20-year broken relationship, so the birthday picture received a lot of love.

Fans expressed their excitement to see O’Neal with his daughter and said they wondered how their relationship was. Many also noticed the painting of his late partner, Farrah Fawcett’s hanging above his bed.

Tatum and Ryan O’Neal on “Paper Moon” in 1973 | Source: Getty Images

Even at 82 years old, O’Neal was still called a “Heartthrob,” and fans said it was hard to believe that he was indeed 82 years old. But seeing him with her Academy award-winning daughter was more special, “Beautiful picture of you two..” expressed a fan.

What Happened between Ryan and His Daughter?

For many years Tatum and O’Neal were estranged. They first worked together in 1973 on the film “Paper Moon,” which made Tatum the youngest actor to win an Academy Award at 10.

But it was publically known that the actors had a fractured relationship. Tatum even opened up about it in her thrilling book, “A Paper Life,” in 2004.

Tatum and Ryan O’Neal on photographed in 1965 | Source: Getty Images

In the memoir, she also revealed that her moment of winning an Oscar was sad because her parents did not attend her award ceremony. Her father was out of town filming and could only congratulate her via phone, while her mother did not even acknowledge the accomplishment.

However, Tatum revealed that Fawcett’s played a significant role in their reconciliation. O’Neal and Fawcett were together and had a son, Redmond, but they never married.

The couple broke up in 1997 but reconnected when O’Neal was diagnosed with leukemia. Fawcett was there to take care of him.

Tatum expressed that the experience led O’Neal to extend an olive branch. He apologized for all the lost years, and since he was the only family she had left, Tatum was also willing to work on their relationship.

The broken relationship between her and her father took a toll on Tatum, not to mention the pressure she experienced from her record-breaking award.

She went from making headlines as a renowned child actor to having details about her estranged relationship with her father exposed and her ongoing drug struggle.

Ryan O’Neal, his daughter, Tatum O’Neal and her children Sean, Emily and Kevin McEnroe in Los Angeles in 2003 | Source: Getty Images

However, the two have only improved since running into her father at Fawcett’s funeral. Tatum said O’Neal jokingly hit on her to break the ice, but one thing she struggled to look past was his temper.

Nonetheless, she focused on the positive side of rebuilding a connection with her father. She remembered how happy she was to hear from him and the two-hour lunch they had right after.

Tatum expressed that she was doing much better and loved having her father in her life again. But it was not only O’Neal that she had to mend things with but Fawcett too.

Ryan O’Neal and his daughter Tatum O’Neal in Washington D.C in 2009 | Source: Getty Images

When her father dated Fawcett, she was 16 years old, and her mother had passed, so Tatum felt she was left alone “at the curb”. But a year before Fawcett died, she reached out to her.

Tatum’s son Sean reached out to O’Neal because he thought Fawcett’s cancer battle would lead him to depression. So, Tatum and her son would bring her flowers and food to the hospital and speak for hours.

The 59-year-old said Fawcett’s seemed happy to speak to her, so when she eventually lost her battle to cancer in 2009, the two had reconciled.

With Fawcett dying, all of his failures as a father came crashing down. O’Neal realized how much he hurt Tatum and how alone she felt after her mother’s death. Both of them said painful words to each other, but now they are stronger than ever and no longer looking back at the past.

However, someone who has also been struggling is O’Neal’s son Redmond. He has also had a long battle with drug addiction, and Tatum did her best to help him.

Ryan O’Neal and Farrah Fawcett photographed in 1980 | Source: Getty Images

As his sister, she understood the difficulty of fighting addiction, but she also wanted to be a great example and show him that it was possible to be sober.

Life after Ryan Lost his Partner

The portrait of Fawcett hanging above O’Neal’s bed is said to be one of his priced possessions and the most appreciated reminder of his partner of almost three decades. The actor said he talked to the painting and that it served as Fawcett’s presence in his and his son’s lives.

Its significance is even bigger because O’Neal had to go through a messy legal debacle with the University of Texas for the painting.

Andy Warhol created the portrait, but the court ruled in the actor’s favor, and the painting was given to him. Fawcett left her artwork for the University of Texas and left her long-time companion with nothing.

However, that did not take away from the love they shared. One of Fawcett’s close friends, Sylvia Dorsey, said the two never stopped loving each other and that Fawcett was never happy without O’Neal.

The chemistry between them never died. Even the day before she died, O’Neal went on and on talking about the time they first met, leaving Fawcett smiling.

Another close friend Alana Stewart revealed that the couple planned to marry. O’Neal proposed to Fawcett in the hospital, and she agreed, but her health deteriorated, and they never got a chance to exchange vows.

O’Neal never left Fawcett’s side, especially in the last few months of her illness, and on the day she died, he laid next to her in her cot.

Fifteen years later, Oneal still remembered his long-life partner and said, “There was never a day I didn’t love her.” The actor even shared a picture of Fawcett during her “Charlie’s Angels” days and captioned it, “Missing my angel”.