HOW FAME DESTROYED FARRAH FAWCETT'S SON
His parents had it all – fame, money and looks – so how did Redmond end up in jail after a violent crime spree?
When Farrah Fawcett was dying of cancer in 2009, her only child Redmond O’neal visited her on a jail pass and promised he would overcome his demons to become the man she so desperately wanted him to be. The beautiful Charlie’s Angels superstar died just days later, aged 62, shocking family and friends after it was revealed she had left her troubled son the bulk of her estate, an incredible inheritance estimated at almost $6 million. “I have all this money but it’s not worth anything, it does me no good,” Redmond told Woman’s Day last week in a world exclusive interview from Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail, where he is being held after his latest arrest for armed robbery and, now, attempted murder. “The only thing I want to do is get married and have a child and leave it all [his inheritance] for them.” The heroin and meth addict who made that deathbed promise to Farrah to straighten up and make something of h himself failed to make good, despite his mum’s faith in him. He now faces life in prison after his life again spiralled dangerously out of control.
SERIOUS NEW CHARGES
The 33-year-old was arrested last month for allegedly stealing just $80 from a convenience store while armed with a knife. He has since been charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon after police linked him w with a slew of violent crimes committed b before his arrest. He allegedly attacked fi five random people in the street, stabbing o one man in the face. In an incredible twist, Redmond insists h he still has the bulk of his $6 million in inheritance, and claims his father, ageing H Hollywood sex symbol Ryan O’neal, condemned him to become a junkie and he’s now “lost all hope”.
Heavily tattooed Redmond blames Ryan – who is said to have taken drugs with his son and has his own history of substance abuse – for his current predicament, saying having famous parents is a curse.
PLAYING THE BLAME GAME
“It’s not the drugs that have been a problem, it’s the psychological trauma of my entire life – my whole life experiences have affected me the most,” he tells Woman’s Day. “Fighting with my father, being kicked out and living on the streets, going to jail, being put in a psychiatric ward, being embarrassed all the time, just because of who my parents are.
“The pressure that came with that set off a time bomb in my head. I never asked for any of this, I never wanted any attention.”
Redmond has not been visited in prison by his father or any other member of his family, although he’s talked to Ryan via phone. His half-sister, Academy Awardwinning actress Tatum O’neal, tried to visit him in jail but he refused to see her.
With a bruised face and scabs around his lips, Redmond – who has his father’s piercing blue eyes – told Woman’s Day he couldn’t face another jail sentence. In 2015 he was sentenced to another three years for violating probation, but was released in late 2016.
While Redmond can presumably afford to hire a top attorney, he won’t. “I don’t want a lawyer you have to pay for, I don’t trust any lawyer, but if you have a paid defence the judge looks at you differently, like you’re trying to get special treatment,” he says, once again blaming his privileged upbringing.
‘I never asked for any of this, I never wanted any attention’
“I would rather represent myself. I will take a public defender, but it depends what happens. If it goes to trial, I could be looking at 10 to life in prison.
“I worry about being inside and my father getting ill. He’s 77 now. I was inside when my mother died... they let me out, but it wasn’t good. I do miss her, yeah.”
Ryan doesn’t think his son ever “recovered from the loss of his mother”, and Tatum, 54, who’s also battled drug addiction, believes there’s little hope for her brother.
“He’s got addiction problems so bad that it breaks my heart,” she told People. “Nobody knows what to do with Redmond. From what I’ve seen, there is no way he’s going to survive.”