By Marisa Laudadio
4:00am PST, Dec 26, 2023
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Ryan O'Neal is gone at 82.
The "Peyton Place," "Love Story," "Paper Moon" and "Barry Lyndon" star battled addiction over the decades and was diagnosed with chronic leukemia in 2001 and with prostate cancer in 2012. According to The Blast, Ryan's death certificate — which was released weeks later — indicates he died of congestive heart failure after suffering from cardiomyopathy for years. He was reportedly hospitalized at St. John's Medical in Santa Monica, California, when he died and was buried next to former partner Farrah Fawcett at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park on Dec. 23.
In the wake of the news of his passing on Dec. 8, co-stars, former loves, his famous children and more publicly mourned the complicated, talented Oscar-nominated actor.
"Working with Ryan, all those years ago, was one of the great experiences of my film career, and we remained friends ever after. He was a skilled actor, charming and funny too," his "Love Story" co-star Ali MacGraw said in a statement to "Entertainment Tonight." "I know that a huge part of my success was due to his generosity as my co-star. It has been devastating to know just how ill Ryan has been for many years now, and I was not surprised to learn that he had passed away yesterday morning.
"Thankfully, he was surrounded by his son Patrick and a small group of lifelong, close friends," Ali continued. "My heart goes out to all four of his children and to the people who loved him most. Ryan and I worked together again several years ago with the road company for 'Love Letters.' It was a wonderful experience, and I shall miss him and the fun we shared……and I pray that he will find Peace at last."
Keep reading to see how more stars are remembering Ryan…
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"I feel great sorrow with my father's passing," Ryan O'Neal's daughter Tatum O'Neal told People magazine in a statement. "He meant the world to me. I loved him very much and know he loved me too. I'll miss him forever and I feel very lucky that we ended on such good terms."
MORE: Stars we lost in 2023
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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. This is very difficult for my wife Summer and I, but I will share some feelings to give you an idea of how great a man he is," Ryan O'Neal's son Patrick O'Neal, a sportscaster, wrote on Instagram.
"My father Ryan O'Neal has always been my hero. I looked up to him and he was always bigger than life. When I was born in 1967 my dad was already a TV star on Peyton Place. That's where he met my mom Leigh Taylor-Young, and about 9 months later (give or take a date night or two) I was born. My dad became an international movie star with Love Story at the beginning of the 1970's, a decade he absolutely crushed by starring in movies like What's Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, Barry Lyndon, A Bridge Too Far, The Main Event, and The Driver."
Patrick ended his post with these words: "He is a Hollywood legend. Full stop. The growth spurt of the first name Ryan can be traced back to my dad. That's a fact. He was Rodney Harrington on Peyton Place 3 days a week (he starred in 500 shows over 5 years) and then of course the name Ryan peaked after Love Story (the film that saved Paramount Studios and earned my dad a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame)."
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"I was 18 when we made the pilot for Peyton Place. He was several years older than me, happily married to a gorgeous actress Joanna Moore and they had a new baby (Tatum). He was so confident and very, very funny! There were times when he made me laugh so uncontrollably that we had to stop shooting," Ryan O'Neal's "Peyton Place" co-star Mia Farrow shared on Instagram following news of his death, adding, "He was my first, very secret crush. I was so shy i could barely look at him."
Mia continued, "After i left the show we remained friends altho we saw lived in different countries & saw each other rarely. In the 70s he was Godfather to one of my kids — the baptism was in an old stone church in [the] English countryside where i lived with my husband Andre. But as Ryan's life became busier and more complex, it was understandable that the Godfather part was forgotten. He lived in California, i live in New England. But we kept in touch by phone."
She concluded her post, "I hope he will rest in peace. My thoughts are with his children. Tatum will always be my friend."
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"RIP Ryan O'Neal, 82. His performance in Love Story alone was iconic. Superb actor, proper movie star, complex guy," Piers Morgan shared on X.
The TV host also shared a memory and a photo of an email he once received from Ryan, writing on X, "Did a brilliant interview with Ryan O'Neal for CNN a few years ago, in which he was extraordinarily honest & emotional about his tormented private life. It was only matched by the hilarious email he sent me afterwards."
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"Impossible to believe that Ryan O'Neal is gone. I felt so welcomed by his Peyton Place, the first big production brave enough to welcome me back from the blacklist. An incredible talent, an incredible beauty. A gift of an artist we're lucky to have so much of captured forever." –co-star Lee Grant, on X
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"Condolences to the family of Ryan O'Neal. A wonderfully talented actor and Twitter friend." –William Shatner, on X
