Celebrity News December 08, 2023
Tatum O'Neal Grieves Father Ryan O'Neal: 'I'll Miss Him Forever'
Oscar winner Tatum O'Neal is mourning the death of her father Ryan O'Neal, telling People magazine she will "miss him forever."
In an exclusive statement, Tatum also said, "I feel great sorrow with my father's passing. He meant the world to me. I loved him very much and know he loved me, too."
Reflecting on their final meeting earlier in 2023, she said, "I feel very lucky that we ended on such good terms."
Tatum on Sunday posted a sweet slideshow of better times with her dad, and a rare video of herself. "Thank you everyone for all your love and support," she says in it. "He's in heaven now. Yeah."
Ryan O'Neal of 'Peyton Place,' 'Love Story,' 'Paper Moon' Dies at 82
View StoryFor many years, father and daughter were estranged. They aired their grievances on the eight-episode OWN series "Ryan & Tatum: The O'Neals" in 2011.
In 2020, Tatum's son with her ex, tennis great John McEnroe, posting a photo of himself, Ryan, Tatum, and his siblings Kevin and Emily. At that time, he expressed joy that everyone was still alive after "so many years of hardship."
That same year, Tatum suffered a near-fatal, drug-induced stroke that left her in a six-week coma. She told people in July, "I woke up from a coma, without any words. I was in a coma and nobody could figure out if I was going to die or if I was going to live. And I lived."
For emphasis, she continued, "It is a miracle."