The Love Story star is father to son Griffin and daughter Tatum from his first marriage to the late Joanna Cook Moore, while he is also dad to Patrick, with second wife Leigh Taylor-Young, and his youngest child Redmond, from his relationship with Farrah Fawcett.
Griffin, who was born in 1964, is currently serving a 16-month jail sentence for a charge of driving under the influence of drugs, while Redmond is battling substance abuse issues in court-ordered rehab, and Paper Moon actress Tatum, who has long struggled with drug addiction, sought professional help for the use of painkillers following surgery earlier this year (12).
O’Neal has endured a strained relationship with each of his kids over the years, and only reunited with Tatum in 2011 following years of estrangement.
The 71 year old, who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, accepts that he could have done better as a dad – but he insists his kids can no longer blame him for their struggles as they are all grown-ups.
When asked whether he considers himself a bad father during an interview on U.S. breakfast show Today on Tuesday (01May12), he replied, “Looks like it, doesn’t it? Sure looks like it. I suppose I was. I wasn’t trained.
“(But) these are not children, anymore. Griffin is 45 (sic), Tatum is 49. Who’s the other one? Oh yeah. Redmond is 27. At some point they have to take hold of their own existences.”
