According to the Daily Mail, the brief ceremony was held inside the chapel at the celebrity-heavy Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery.
Following the service, O’Neal’s redwood-colored coffin was taken to his final resting place beside his longtime partner, Farrah Fawcett.
Despite the issues they had, the two of them were by each other’s side through thick and thin. Farrah took care of O’Neal when he was diagnosed with leukemia, and he had been by her side when she was battling anal cancer.
As a way to perhaps fulfill his wish to have been able to get more time with the late actress, O’Neal wanted to be buried next to the love of his life. In fact, half of Farrah’s large gravestone was left empty since her passing, awaiting the addition of Ryan O’Neal’s name.
Going against Farrah’s final wishes?
However, just like parts of their relationship, Farrah’s burial was not without controversy.
Fawcett’s college sweetheart from the University of Texas, Greg Lott, came forward, accusing O’Neal of going against Farrah’s final wishes.
“She never wanted a burial or a monument where people could come gawk at her,” Lott told The Post.
“Ryan created this narrative like it was this big love story, and they (Ryan and his lawyers) took over her life at the end, sedating her and forging documents.”
Craig Nevius, a friend of Farrah’s and the producer of the 2005 reality TV show Chasing Farrah, expressed similar thoughts:
“It’s been so bizarre to see her name at the top of this big gravestone with nothing on the bottom. My guess is that his name will be on there soon, with the words ‘Love Story.’”
Love Story not inscribed on the gravestone
However, that did not happen; Love Story is not inscribed on the gravestone. Instead, both Farrah and Ryan’s names are engraved there, complete with their dates.
And the speculations that Ryan and his team forced anything through have been firmly dismissed. Alana Stewart, 79, Rod Stewart’s ex-wife and a longtime friend of Farrah, denied the accusations that O’Neal took advantage of her or exaggerated their relationship.
“He and Farrah loved each other deeply,” Stewart told The Post.
“She died in his arms, and she was there for him when he had leukemia. I saw their love as this great love story. Sure, it had its dark moments. He could be volatile, but Ryan could also be the sweetest, most generous, funniest guy in the world.”
