Tatum O'Neal feels "very lucky" that she and her late father Ryan O'Neal "ended on such good terms".
Tatum O'Neal's tribute to Ryan: 'I feel very lucky that we ended on such good terms'
Ryan, 82 - best known for his roles in 'Love Story' and 'Paper Moon' - passed away "peacefully" on Friday (08.12.23), and his daughter Tatum shared a heartfelt tribute following his death.
She told PEOPLE: "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. I'll miss him forever and I feel very lucky that we ended on such good terms."
Ryan and Tatum co-starred in 1973's 'Paper Moon', with Tatum picking up the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her part in the movie at the age of 10.
The pair had a tumultuous relationship, marked with periods of estrangement and Tatum claimed their difficulties originated with her Oscar win.
She previously told The Hollywood Reporter: "He loved me, but then hated me, because I won the Academy Award. Weird [stuff] happened. It kind of went in the wrong direction to happiness."
In July 2023, ahead of her first meeting with her father since September 2020, Tatum added: "My father and I are going to have a conversation. We’re just going to talk. I hope it will work out. We’ll see. I pray that it will.
"I think he’s gotten a little bit better in his life. I mean, he’s an amazing man, my dad, and I miss him terribly.
“I don’t want him to die. I love him. I love my dad. I mean, I’ve had a hard life with my dad — but I still love him.”
Speaking on the documentary series 'Ryan and Tatum: The O’Neals', Ryan said: "I had this peculiar thing on 'Paper Moon', and that is the director insisted she wasn’t my daughter. The director insisted that my character, Moses, never thought for a second that this was his daughter. So he wanted me to make sure that I didn’t think of her as my daughter. And maybe it never wore off.”.
Ryan is also survived by his sons Griffin, 59, from his first marriage to the late Joanna Moore, Patrick, 56, from his marriage to Leigh Taylor-Young, as well as Redmond, 38, who he had with late Hollywood icon Farrah Fawcett.
Patrick announced his father's death but did not reveal a specific cause. However, the Hollywood star was first diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia in 2001 and later diagnosed with stage two prostate cancer.
In 2012, he told Reuters: "Although I was shocked and stunned by the news, I feel fortunate that it was detected early and according to my extraordinary team of doctors the prognosis is positive for a full recovery.
"I am deeply grateful for the support of my friends and family during this time, and I urge everyone to get regular check-ups, as early detection is the best defense against this horrible disease that has afflicted so many."