Actor Ryan O’Neal, who was one of the biggest box office stars of the early 1970s, has died at the age of 82.
O’Neal’s death was announced on Instagram by his son, Patrick O’Neal. Although no cause of death was revealed in the post, the Associated Post noted that the actor was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, and chronic leukemia a decade earlier.
Patrick O’Neal’s social media tribute focused on his dad’s legacy, both personal and professional, saying the actor “has always been my hero” and “was always bigger than life.”
Patrick O’Neal also called his dad “a Hollywood legend. Full stop” and claimed that the popularity of Ryan as a first name “can be traced back to my dad. That’s a fact.”
Born in 1941, O’Neal was the son of screenwriter Charles O’Neal and actor Patricia Callaghan O’Neal.
Before becoming a performer, O’Neal worked as a lifeguard and an amateur boxer, before attempting an acting career in the late 1950s.
O’Neal had small roles in TV shows like “The Untouchables,” “Leave It To Beaver,” and “My Three Sons,” before getting his big break on the ABC prime-time soap “Peyton Place,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
During his time on the show, he divorced his first wife, Joanna Moore, the mother of his daughter, Tatum and son, Griffin, and married co-star Leigh Taylor-Young, Patrick’s mother.
O’Neal’s star really rose in 1970, after the release of “Love Story,” a blockbuster that also earned him and co-star Ali McGraw Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Actress.
O’Neal went on to star in other critically-acclaimed hits like “What’s Up, Doc?” Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon,” and “Paper Moon,” in which he played opposite his daughter, Tatum, who won the Best Supporting Oscar for her performance.
In the meantime, his personal life included relationships with classic beauties like“, Barbra Streisand, Joan Collins and Diana Ross, before he settled down with longtime love, Farrah Fawcett, the mother of his youngest son, Redmond James Fawcett O’Neal.
During the 21st century, O’Neal was most familiar to modern audiences through a recurring role on the Fox crime drama, “Bones.”
O’Neal’s personal relationships could be volatile. He and Fawcett broke up for a period only to reunite in the 2000s, and he and Tatum drifted apart as she got older, according to the Associated Press.
He lamented in his 2012 book about Fawcett, “Both Of Us,” that his daughter informed him of her wedding to tennis great John McEnroe by telegram.
“A door inside me locked the morning the telegram came, and I am still blindly searching for the key to open it,” he wrote.
In addition, in 2008 O’Neal was arrested for methamphetamine possession that was found at his Malibu home during a probation check on his son, Redmond.
Though he publicly denied the drugs were his, he pleaded guilty to the charges and entered a drug diversion program.
O’Neal’s inspired various tributes on X, formerly known as Twitter, including his former co-star, Barbra Streisand.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.