The love for Ryan O’Neal radiated through Hollywood’s DGA Theater Complex this Saturday as past co-stars, friends, and family honored the late veteran actor.
It has been over a month since the entertainment industry began grieving the loss of the “Love Story” star. However, they turned their pain into joy as they paid tribute to O’Neal’s life and incredible legacy with fond memories at his celebration of life memorial service.
Ryan O’Neal’s Loved Ones Sing His Praises As They Walk Down Memory Lane
Several of Hollywood’s A-list acts and veteran members turned up in their finest ensembles to mark the end of a legendary entertainer.
The list included one of the biggest teen idols from the 90s, Alicia Silverstone, who worked with O’Neal over two decades ago. The “Clueless” actress reminisced about their time together on set, describing the late actor’s younger self as a sassy troublemaker. In her words:
“Well, O’Neal and I did a show called Miss Match when I was about 25 years old, and he was so lovely, and he’s cheeky too, you know? We had to tell him to behave yourself sometimes ‘cause he’s so sweet and funny and all, you know.”
Silverstone also praised her former co-star’s acting skills as “extraordinary,” noting she has always been amazed by “how beautifully he executed” his scenes. Jacqueline Bisset shared similar sentiments while discussing her 1973 collaboration with O’Neal.
“I did a film called ‘The Thief Who Came to Dinner,’ where he played a thief. He was quite a naughty thief, and I was a certain female who got forward with him, and it was quite fun,” the 79-year-old recalled before reflecting on how the loss had affected the industry, lamenting:
“Everybody, like all the leading personnel, our directors, they’re all gone. We’re all diminishing, which is all quite hard to deal with. And I thought I don’t know who’s going to be there for O’Neal, but I wanted to be here.”
Bisset sweetly remembered her old pal as a fun person with much energy, claiming he enjoyed success and loved his legion of fans. O’Neal wasn’t only adored by his female co-stars, as renowned actor Eric Roberts had high praise for the deceased.
The older brother of actress Julia Roberts raved about O’Neal’s uniqueness, declaring, “There was nobody like him, and he went from being beautiful and delicate to being cool and wise, you know?” He praised the late actor’s flexibility, noting he positively changed people’s lives with the words:
“He impacted people’s lives in a positive way, and he owned his stuff. He was really honest about himself personally, which really ended up being really good for this family, you know, there was goodness there.”
Apart from the late entertainer’s co-workers, his daughter, Tatum O’Neal, also spoke to ET about her father’s celebration of life service. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful thing. I sure love my dad. I actually cried this morning, which is rare, you know,” she confessed, adding:
“I had actually stopped crying throughout my life, and I cried this morning really hard. It was beautiful. I love my dad, always.”
Ryan O’Neal’s Son Warned Fans Ahead Of His Celebration Of Life Service
Last December, the late actor’s son, Patrick O’Neal, announced his plans to host a celebration of life memorial service alongside a stern warning to fans. The 56-year-old, who was the first to confirm Ryan’s death, seemingly used his statement to refute his brother’s claims about their father.
“I am in the process of planning my dad’s memorial and celebration of life for late January, and everyone who should be there will be there, and it will be amazing, trust me. This will be a tribute to the man, his family, his love of boxing, and his legendary career as an actor,” Patrick’s message read.
If fans missed Patrick’s subtle diss about “everyone who should be there will be there” at Ryan’s 2024 celebration of life, he concluded the Instagram post with a warning that read: “1. Don’t believe everything you read. 2. Consider the source. C. myob.”
The 56-year-old’s post arrived at the heels of his brother Griffin O’Neal’s claims about their father’s funeral. The late entertainer’s first son, his older sister, Tatum, and younger brother, Redmond, were notably absent from their father’s burial in L.A.
Patrick was the only one out of Ryan’s four children to attend the funeral service, which Griffin claimed happened because he was excluded from the ceremony.
“I wasn’t even invited to send him off. I’m the hated son who told the truth. Dark times in this family. Love means never having to say you’re sorry — and Ryan never did to anyone,” Griffin alleged.