Ryan O'Neal was fortunate to lead the life of the movie "Love Story" in his real life, but at a cost. Not everything went smoothly in his life; the troubled life of his first wife Joanna Moore and her drug abuse; balancing life with Farah, and his children, especially Tatum O'Neal, was hard to keep up with. His relationship with Farrah was complicated and often turbulent; in short they were not as cozy as the picture-perfect Malibu sunsets. But they were 1980s glamour couple, just like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of today, which captured the attention of millions of fans. O'Neal first met Farrah when she was married to actor Lee Majors, and recalls how he felt when he first saw her at Majors/Fawcett's Malibu home; "I first saw her in their driveway, and she lit up the day." Alana Stewart, a close friend of the couple recalls that their relationship was very rocky, but also had deep connection and love. The high point in their life was the birth of their son, Redmond in 1985, but sadly Redmond lead a tumultuous life that Farrah never expected.
There were rumors that Ryan O'Neal had many affairs with other women during his relationship with Farrah, but in the book, he admits the 1997 affair, when Farrah walked in on him with a younger woman was his only moment of unfaithfulness to her. He offers an explanation for his behavior by blaming Farrah's menopause which made her mad at him at all time, and hence he found a younger companion who wasn't mad at him. He got back with Farrah about a year before she was diagnosed for anal cancer. Her reality show was chronicled in the NBC documentary, Farrah's Story. Reflecting on this sad moment, he recalls she wanted him to be there with her. In this show we saw ailing Farrah getting treatments for cancer; the sad and sunny days in her last few days of her life, and the visit of her son Redmond from prison was touching. Terminally ill Farrah was barely aware that her son was there with her. Ryan O'Neal looks back at these instances candidly. Sadly, he also had his own battle with leukemia and skin cancer, and he announced earlier this month that he is diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer.
Another story that is not properly discussed in the book is about the missing Andy Warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett that belongs to her alma mater University of Texas. Apparently one portrait was given to the university; the other had been retained by O'Neal, which was seen hanging above his bed in his Malibu home in his reality show on OWN TV.
Currently he is still estranged from his three children, Patrick, Griffin, and Tatum. In 2011, Tatum and Ryan attempted to reconcile their differences through their reality show on Oprah's network, "Ryan and Tatum; the O'Neal's." The damage done to their relationship was evident in this show because of his living arrangement with Farrah, and heavy toll it took on young Tatum. Ryan's love and devotion for Farrah is abundantly evident in this book. Based on his personal records and recollections, he presents a true love story and includes rare photographs and letters.
Reference: Both of us: My life with Farrah by Ryan O’Neal
There were rumors that Ryan O'Neal had many affairs with other women during his relationship with Farrah, but in the book, he admits the 1997 affair, when Farrah walked in on him with a younger woman was his only moment of unfaithfulness to her. He offers an explanation for his behavior by blaming Farrah's menopause which made her mad at him at all time, and hence he found a younger companion who wasn't mad at him. He got back with Farrah about a year before she was diagnosed for anal cancer. Her reality show was chronicled in the NBC documentary, Farrah's Story. Reflecting on this sad moment, he recalls she wanted him to be there with her. In this show we saw ailing Farrah getting treatments for cancer; the sad and sunny days in her last few days of her life, and the visit of her son Redmond from prison was touching. Terminally ill Farrah was barely aware that her son was there with her. Ryan O'Neal looks back at these instances candidly. Sadly, he also had his own battle with leukemia and skin cancer, and he announced earlier this month that he is diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer.
Another story that is not properly discussed in the book is about the missing Andy Warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett that belongs to her alma mater University of Texas. Apparently one portrait was given to the university; the other had been retained by O'Neal, which was seen hanging above his bed in his Malibu home in his reality show on OWN TV.
Currently he is still estranged from his three children, Patrick, Griffin, and Tatum. In 2011, Tatum and Ryan attempted to reconcile their differences through their reality show on Oprah's network, "Ryan and Tatum; the O'Neal's." The damage done to their relationship was evident in this show because of his living arrangement with Farrah, and heavy toll it took on young Tatum. Ryan's love and devotion for Farrah is abundantly evident in this book. Based on his personal records and recollections, he presents a true love story and includes rare photographs and letters.
Reference: Both of us: My life with Farrah by Ryan O’Neal
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