“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 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:
“I don’t think he had the authority to decide that she would be buried and him later with her — but that’s clearly what he did,” Nevius said.
“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.”
Defends his father
Ryan O’Neal’s son, Patrick, also seems on a mission to defend his father, stating that he won’t allow anyone to tarnish the actor’s name without facing consequences.
“If you choose to talk s–t about my dad, even though you have no clue what you are talking about, you will get called out. If you go that route, I recommend you take a good look in the mirror first,” Patrick, a longtime sportscaster and current play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Angels, wrote on Instagram.
In September 2024, Patrick O’Neal directed sharp criticism at the Television Academy ahead of the Emmys on September 15.
“Tonight is the Emmys and I have zero confidence the @televisionacad will honor my dad for the ‘in memoriam’ segment. I am a member of the academy, and despite my best efforts, they would not tell me if this TV LEGEND will be on the telecast”, Patrick wrote on Instagram.
”The TV Academy failed miserably by not adding him back in January. I will not be watching the show, but rather enjoying a quality birthday dinner with my beautiful wife, Summer.”
Emmy’s controversy
Earlier in January, Patrick’s father had been omitted from the memorial tribute.
“Wasn’t watching #Emmys but someone let me know they left my dad out of the ‘in memoriam,’” Patrick posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Kind of wish I didn’t know right now but I would’ve found out. Sad and mad is a paralyzing combo.”
However, in September of this year, Patrick finally got to see his father honored.
“Thank you to the Television Academy for including my dad in the ‘in memoriam’ segment. I am posting a young Ryan just as he was embarking on a long-lasting TV career as an actor. He truly loved acting on television, and Rodney Harrington, aka Ryan O’Neal, would have something clever to say with full humility.”
