Ryan O’Neal, the prolific actor known for his roles in “Love Story” and “Peyton Place” died at the age of 82, according to celebrity news website TMZ.
His son, 56-year-old actor Patrick O’Neal, confirmed the news on social media Friday, according to TMZ.
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“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,” Patrick O’Neal said in an Instagram post on Friday.
The announcement comes after RadarOnline.com posted in February that O’Neal was desperate to reconnect with his incarcerated son, Redmond, whom he shared with Fawcett, who died in 2009. O’Neal didn’t “believe he has much time left” due to chronic leukemia, diabetes, and heart problems, the source reportedly insisted.
O’Neal had often made headlines for his troubled relationship with Farrah Fawcett and his estrangement from his children.
Born Charles Patrick Ryan O’Neal in LA on April 20, 1941, O’Neal was the son of actress Patricia Ruth Olga and novelist/screenwriter Charles O’Neal.
Before becoming an actor, O’Neal trained to become a professional boxer, competing in two Golden Gloves championships in LA in the 1950s. His amateur fighting record is 18 wins to four losses, with 13 knockouts, according to his website.
O’Neal’s cause of death remains unknown at this time; however, the actor had been diagnosed with chronic leukemia in 2001 and then with prostate cancer in 2012.
O’Neal fathered four children: Tatum O’Neal and Griffin O’Neal, whom he had with his first wife, Joanna Moore; Patrick O’Neal with his second wife, Leigh Taylor-Young and Redmond James Fawcett O’Neal with his longtime partner Farrah Fawcett.