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Actor Ryan O'Neal died of "congestive heart failure" after years of battling "cardiomyopathy," according to his Los Angeles County Department of Public Health death certificate, which was obtained and shared by the Blast on Friday (December 22).
O'Neal, best known for his roles in the television series 'Peyton Place' and the films 'Love Story,' 'What's Up, Doc?', 'Barry Lyndon' and 'Paper Moon,' in the 1970s, died at the age of 82, his son, Patrick, revealed in a series of post shared on his Instagram account earlier this month.
"So this is the toughest thing I’ve ever had to say but here we go. My dad passed away peacefully today, with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us," Patrick wrote.
O'Neal's role in 'Love Story' was nominated for Bst Actor by the Academy Awards and Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama by the Golden Globe Awards and his role in 'Barry Lyndon' was nominated for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The Los Angeles native was one of the biggest heartthrobs of the 1970s, having dated the likes of Bianca Jagger, Jacqueline Bisset, Barbra Streisand, Joan Collins, Diana Ross and, most notably, Farrah Fawcett, the decade's biggest sex symbol, initially from 1979-97 and again from 2001 until her death in 2009.
"Ryan never bragged. But he has bragging rights in Heaven. Especially when it comes to Farrah. Everyone had the poster, he had the real McCoy," Patrick wrote of his father. "And now they meet again. Farrah and Ryan. He has missed her terribly. What an embrace that must be. Together again.
"I’ll miss you dad. I love you. We love you."