Farrah Fawcett, a star of “Charlie’s Angels,” was renowned for her breathtaking beauty and sexuality. She was adored and respected by many, but Ryan O’Neal was the only one who truly had her heart. Even after she passed away, their love for one another remained strong.
A well-known actor, Ryan O’Neal is best known for his roles in the 1970s movies “Love Story” and “Paper Moon.” He was in a three-decade-long relationship with Farah Fawcett.
Late in the 1970s, O’Neal and Fawcett started dating, and their union experienced its share of highs and lows. Redmond O’Neal, their son, was born in 1985.
For her iconic bikini poster and her part as one of the three female private investigators in the popular television series “Charlie’s Angels,” Fawcett rose to prominence as a sex symbol in the 1970s.
Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, Fawcett’s co-stars, and she had enormous success on the show. Yet Fawcett made the decision to leave the show a year after she rose to fame. Those who worked with her were shocked by her choice.
The showrunners at the time had constantly made an effort to present her with their best options in an effort to keep her from quitting. Fawcett was resolved to quit and pursue a career as a serious actor despite their attempts to stop her. She clarified:
“I knew I had to change, I mean, I wanted to change, if I was going to stay in the business.”
Fawcett put her acting talents on display in the drama series “The Burning Bed,” which won a lot of praise from critics and was one of the best-reviewed TV movies in the business, in order to shed her reputation as a sex symbol.
She received her first of three Emmy Award nominations for her outstanding performance, solidifying her position as the king of TV movies.
Fawcett made the entire world fall in love with her and her beauty, but Ryan O’Neal was the only one who genuinely won her heart.
O’Neal was said to be Fawcett’s true love. He had supported her throughout her career successes in show industry as well as during her cancer treatment.
Even when she could hardly speak, he continued to urge her to marry him until she passed away. He remained single after she passed away because he never stopped loving her.
Ryan O’Neal Reflects on Farrah Fawcett’s Death and Cancer
O’Neal discussed his experiences of finding out about Fawcett’s terrible cancer diagnosis and their final moments together in an interview with Barbara Walters that aired on ABC in 2009. He claimed that Fawcett traveled to Texas to be with her dying mother and remained there after her death.
O’Neal once received a phone from Fawcett informing him that she was bleeding. He replied, “I said you had to get back here right soon.” Anal cancer, an uncommon form of sickness, was later discovered to be her condition.
Fawcett’s symptoms, according to her doctor, Dr. Lawrence Piro, arose suddenly, and she had no chance to notice them earlier. He added that the malignancy had advanced rapidly.
Piro said that although they had the best means to suppress the tumor, they would never be able to completely remove it from Fawcett’s body. She had a condition that was “treatable but not curable.”
Fawcett persevered and was determined to survive despite her complicated health. She was referred to as “an incredible fighter” by Piro. On the other hand, O’Neal found it difficult to accept her circumstances. He acknowledged feeling anxious but said:
“I’ve had cancer for eight years now, and I’ve seen a lot of what disease can do. But there’s one thing I know for sure: Farrah Fawcett was tough to kill.”
Fawcett eventually consented to O’Neal’s repeated requests to marry her as her condition deteriorated. As soon as possible, they intended to get married.
Even at the most trying periods, the couple would laugh about and share lighthearted moments. Even in jest, Fawcett encouraged O’Neal to sign a prenuptial contract.
During Fawcett’s final days, Alana Stewart, who had been by her side throughout, described how Fawcett’s face would light up whenever O’Neal entered the room.
When Fawcett asked him if she would ever make it, O’Neal replied, “I said sure, oh, yes, you’ll make it, and if you don’t, I’ll go with you,” and he was overcome with emotion.
While he was able to reassure Fawcett, O’Neal also said that the first time she questioned her survival, he didn’t like it and that she had never brought up death with him.
Tragically, they were unable to share vows when Fawcett passed suddenly on June 25, 2009. Piro, Fawcett’s longtime physician, claimed that she passed away painlessly and with affection surrounding her.
According to the doctor, O’Neal was with Fawcett in her final moments, showing her affection and sharing happy recollections of their time spent together while holding her hand till she died away.
According to Piro, O’Neal and Fawcett wanted to be married to formalize their conventional devotion to one another. Piro called them “soulmates” with a deeper bond than any other couple, despite the fact that they were never wed.
The passing of Fawcett shocked Hollywood. Smith, who was good friends with her, remembered Fawcett’s strong bond with O’Neal with affection and this is how he best put it:
She and Ryan shared a love for each other. Every time they fought or got back together, Ryan was there. the child’s biological father. Continually linked.
O’Neal Still Had Love for Fawcett
Fawcett was very dear to O’Neal. He slept on a cot next to her hospital bed in Los Angeles during her dying days, remaining by her side. He talked about their first encounter the night before she died and let her know how much he cared for her.
O’Neal’s love for Fawcett is still strong, and despite it having been 13 years since her passing, he is still unmarried. There was never a day that he didn’t say, “I love her.”
O’Neal and Fawcett co-parented their son up until their divorce in 1997. After Ryan was afflicted with leukemia in 2001 and Fawcett took care of him, the couple got back together.
O’Neal has not stopped publicly expressing his love for Fawcett despite her passing in 2009. In 2017, he sweetly honored her on her birthday by sharing a picture of the two of them on Instagram with the message, “Happy birthday, sweetheart. I will always and forever love you.
The passing of Fawcett had a positive side effect in that it allowed O’Neal and his family to reconcile after a 20-year separation. Ryan has had troubled relationships with the three women he has fathered his four children with in the past.
Tatum, his daughter, wrote in her memoirs “A Paper Life,” published in 2004, about her tumultuous connection with father. She reported in 2010 that he apologized and got in touch with her. She also let him know that she needed him.
O’Neal was reunited with his family in September 2020. Sean McEnroe, his grandson, posted a picture of the family on Instagram, featuring Tatum, his mother, and Kevin and Emily, his siblings.
The only other time they had all been present was for the 30th anniversary of the movie “Paper Moon” in 2003, so Sean pondered on the rarity and significance of the occasion. The heading stated:
“This is one of my all-time favorite pictures… Even when the entire West Coast is on fire, if the O’Neals can get along, anything is really possible.
Ryan, who is now 81 years old, was seen in September 2017 appearing ill. He was walking with his son Redmond in Malibu while using a cane. He was recuperating from back surgery at the time.
Fawcett and O’Neal never exchanged vows of marriage, but in the end, their love was more solid than any legal document could ever prove. They were together even after she passed away, and O’Neal would always carry her memory with him.