Tatum O’Neal, 60, reacted to her father, Ryan O’Neal‘s death on December 8 with a rare statement released to PEOPLE. The Sex and The City alum remembered the late actor with an emotional sentiment and revealed where their relationship stood at the time of his death. “I feel great sorrow with my father‘s passing,” Tatum told the outlet. “He meant the world to me. I loved him very much and know he loved me too.”
The Paper Moon actress expressed her gratitude for making amends with Ryan ahead of his passing. “I’ll miss him forever and I feel very lucky that we ended on such good terms,” she concluded. News of the late Love Story star’s death broke on December 8 when his son, Patrick O’Neal, confirmed the news via his Instagram with a statement.
“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,” the 56-year-old began in the caption of a sunset photo. “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 welcomed his son with his second wife, Leigh Taylor-Young, in the late 1960s.
Patrick called his late dad his “hero” and praised him for being a “legend” in Hollywood. “My father Ryan O’Neal has always been my hero. I looked up to him and he was always bigger than life,” he continued. “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 concluded his post by highlighting Ryan’s 1970 film, Love Story, starring Ali MacGraw, and claimed that it “saved Paramount Studios.”
Ahead of Ryan’s passing, Tatum also took to Instagram on April 21 to share a rare photo with her dad (see above). “Happy birthday dad I love you,” she captioned the sweet snapshot of them together. In the photo, the former child actress sat alongside Ryan on the edge of the bed. They both smiled big for the camera, and fans took to the comments thread. “Great picture of you both,” one admirer wrote, while another added, “Beautiful photo.”
Ryan was a proud dad to four children from three different relationships. He welcomed his son, Griffin O’Neal, with his first wife, Joanna Moore, in 1964. Joanna also gave birth to Tatum the year prior. Later, Ryan became a father to three kids when he welcomed Patrick with Leigh. Finally, he welcomed his fourth and youngest child, Redmond O’Neal, with the late actress Farrah Fawcett, in 1985. Ryan and Farrah never married but were famously linked to each other from 1979 until her death in 2009.