The reason behind the passing of Oscar-nominated actor Ryan O’Neal has been disclosed.
The actor, who was 82 years old when he “passed away peacefully” on December 8, suffered from “congestive heart failure,” according to a death certificate that The Blast was able to get this week.
The death certificate included information about O’Neal’s “cardiomyopathy” and stated that it had been present for “years.”
Cardiomyopathy is defined by the Cleveland Clinic as a disorder “that affects your heart muscle.” Your heart cannot effectively pump blood to the rest of your body if you have cardiomyopathy.
According to O’Neal’s death certificate, he was interred at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary in Los Angeles and died at Saint John’s Health Center.
Tatum O’Neal, O’Neal’s co-star in Paper Moon and his daughter, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about her father after his passing earlier this month.
She released a statement saying, “I feel great sorrow with my father’s passing.” “To me, he was everything. I knew he loved me just as much as I loved him. We ended on such excellent terms, and I feel very fortunate that I will always miss him.”
In an Instagram post on December 8, Tatum’s brother Patrick O’Neal revealed Ryan’s passing, stating that his father “has always been my hero” and that he “passed away peacefully” with family members by his side.
Ryan lived with Joanna Moore along with Tatum, 60, and her brother Griffin O’Neal, 59. Patrick, 56, was born to him and Leigh Taylor-Young. Redmond, 38, his youngest son, was shared by him and Farrah Fawcett.
The Peyton Place actor has a medical history. In 2001, he was diagnosed with chronic leukemia, and in 2012, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
He discussed his ailments with PEOPLE in 2021. Since I made it through them, I’m proud of them. I believed that I had vanished. And all of a sudden, I return. I’m back, but I’m not the same man I was.”
The news that Ryan had leukemia precipitated his reunion with Fawcett, with whom he had first been romantically involved from around 1979 to 1997. After making up, the couple remained together until Fawcett passed away in 2009.
During the 2021 PEOPLE interview, Ryan discussed his vision for his legacy. Oh, he replied, “I don’t even know what my legacy is; I’ve had so many stories told about me.”
