The passing of a Hollywood legend often brings families together in shared grief, but the death of Ryan O’Neal in December 2023 revealed deep and lasting fractures within his own family. The actor, celebrated for his roles in films like “Love Story” and “Barry Lyndon,” was laid to rest in a small ceremony at Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. However, the service was marked by the notable absence of several of his children, painting a poignant picture of a personal life as complex and tumultuous as any of his on-screen dramas.
One son was physically unable to attend. Redmond O’Neal, the son O’Neal shared with his longtime partner, the iconic Farrah Fawcett, was incarcerated in a California state hospital at the time of the funeral. Redmond’s life has been a public struggle with addiction and mental health challenges, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. His absence was a sad echo of his mother’s funeral in 2009, which he attended in shackles. Despite a deathbed promise to Farrah to care for their son, Ryan O’Neal’s relationship with Redmond had deteriorated to the point where the young man refused to see his father during his own treatments.
More surprising was the absence of O’Neal’s other son, Griffin. He revealed that he was not even invited to the memorial service. Griffin, the son from O’Neal’s first marriage to Joanna Moore, claimed he drove 2,000 miles from Texas only to discover the service was scheduled for a later date, and he had been deliberately excluded. Their relationship had been shattered for 17 years following a violent confrontation in 2007, where Griffin allegedly swung a fireplace poker at his father and Ryan responded by aiming a gun at him. Despite this history, Griffin had hoped for a chance to say a final goodbye.
The funeral was organized by Patrick O’Neal, Ryan’s son from his second marriage to Leigh Taylor-Young. Patrick, a Los Angeles sportscaster, had grown closer to his father in his later years and took charge of the final arrangements. The service was an intimate affair with only about 25 attendees, a modest gathering for a star of his magnitude. Also absent was O’Neal’s daughter, Tatum O’Neal, an Oscar-winning actress herself, though she had reconciled with her father after a 20-year estrangement and expressed deep sorrow at his passing.
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In death, Ryan O’Neal was laid to rest beside Farrah Fawcett, fulfilling his wish to be reunited with the love of his life. Their shared gravestone now bears both their names. Yet, this final act was not without controversy, as old friends of Farrah’s questioned whether this was truly her wish. The fractured family dynamics, the private funeral, and the posthumous criticisms stand in stark contrast to the charming heartthrob the public thought they knew, revealing a legacy marked by both brilliant professional achievement and profound personal complexity.
