father,” O’Neal told Vanity Fair in 2009.
Reconciled with his daughter
Fortunately, Ryan and Tatum reconciled in the late 2000s after a 20-year estrangement and years of hardship.
“I feel great sorrow with my father’s passing,” Tatum said in a statement after his death.
“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,” Tatum added.
Redwood-colored coffin
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.
After Farrah’s death, O’Neal publicly spoke of his regrets about their relationship. He said he felt he didn’t get enough time with her.
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 hisContinue reading…
