NEWSTatum O’Neal Mourns Dad Ryan’s Burned Malibu Home: 'I Could Cry'
Tatum O’Neal said she's saddened about her dad Ryan O'Neal's Malibu home burning down.
March 23 2025, Published 4:20 p.m. ET
Tatum O’Neal’s heart is heavy after the shocking news that the Malibu house of her father, Ryan O’Neal, went up in flames.
“It’s the saddest, ever so sad, I could cry,” she posted on Threads. “My father’s house is gone. Malibu gone.”
The 61-year-old Oscar winner is no stranger to heartbreak, having endured her fair share of struggles throughout her life. Once a celebrated child star, she fumbled through highs and lows at her father’s side, but now it seems Tatum is finally carving out her own path amidst the wreckage.
Tatum O'Neal is devastated over her dad, Ryan O'Neal's Malibu home burning down.
A Struggle with Addiction That Almost Took Her Life
In a terrifying twist, Tatum’s battle with addiction soared to new heights in 2020 when she overdosed on a cocktail of painkillers, opiates, and morphine, resulting in a catastrophic stroke. “Part of me just didn’t want to make it, you know?” she confided to Variety.
After waking from a six-week coma, Tatum emerged with severe impairments and faced the daunting task of relearning how to speak, walk and read. She attend speech therapy twice a week as she rebuilds her life.
Haunted by a Traumatic Upbringing
The scars of her tumultuous childhood remain. The daughter of Ryan and actress Joanna Moore, both battling addiction, Tatum knew well the bitterness of abuse and neglect. In her 2004 memoir, A Paper Life, she recounted harrowing experiences — enduring beatings from her mother’s boyfriend and even resorting to dog food for sustenance. Ultimately, moving in with Ryan became a sour memory for Tatum.
“Things got ugly quick,” she recalled. “He loved me, but then hated me, because I won the Academy Award.”
Tatum’s iconic performance in Paper Moon, the 1973 film about Depression-era grifters, transcended family rivalries, earning her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. This later sparked jealousy from both parents.
Ryan O'Neal allegedly felt jealousy toward Tatum O'Neal winning an Oscar for her role in 'Paper Moon.'
Shadows of Their Relationship
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The tumult continued, with Ryan’s volatile temper marking her childhood. He even refused to attend the Academy Awards with her, though he did manage to send a congratulatory note — a far cry from her mother, who didn’t acknowledge her triumph at all.
In 2011, the estranged duo attempted to mend fences in their reality show, Ryan and Tatum: The O’Neals. Tatum recalled a bittersweet visit shortly before Ryan died in 2023. “He was like, ‘Here, take a pill,’” she said. “I was like, ‘No, thank you.’”
Tatum O'Neal strugggled with drug addiction, as she tried to grapple with her upbringing.
Yet, a drink did find its way into her hand that day.
“Every single time she’s seen her dad my entire life, something happens,” Tatum’s ex-husband, tennis star John McEnroe, told Variety.
Moving Forward After Loss
Following her father’s passing, Tatum faced a painful blow — discovering she had been cut out of his will.
She views this as a petty reaction to her memoir, which Ryan had long dismissed as a product of “clouded” memories.
Tatum O'Neal is ready to move on from her dark childhood.
“Just Tatum! Without my dad,” she declares fiercely. “Even better than almost enough.”
