Ryan O’Neal Has Prostate Cancer After Leukemia

Charles Patrick Ryan O’Neal, more commonly known as Ryan O’Neal, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The Academy Award winning American actor, well known for his roles in hit films Love Story and A Bridge Too Far, battled leukemia in the late 1990s which certainly makes him no stranger to health tribulations. In a statement released by Ryan to People.com, the actor stated:

“Recently I was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. Although I was shocked and stunned by the news, I feel fortunate that it was detected early and, according to my extraordinary team of doctors, prognosis is positive for a full recovery. I am deeply grateful for the support of my friends and family during this time, and I urge everyone to get regular check-ups, as early detection is the best defense against this horrible disease that has afflicted so many.”

The 70-year-old American actor was #2 in the 1973 Annual Top Box Office Stars, right behind Clint Eastwood. He received an Academy Award for his role in Love Story (1970), a movie which catapulted his career through the 1970s, a decade in which his popularity was rose to great heights. O’Neal currently plays a recurring character on Fox’s Bones.

Ryan was married twice, to actresses Leigh Taylor-Young and Joanna Cook Moore, but eventually both marriages ended in divorce. Farrah Fawcett and O’Neal shared a long-term relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend prior to Fawcett’s untimely demise in 2009. Her death came as a result of a bout with cancer. During the period in which Fawcett was battling cancer, O’Neal told People magazine:

“It’s a love story. I just don’t know how to play this one. I won’t know this world without her. Cancer is an insidious enemy.”

After battling chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) for roughly five years, physicians announced that Ryan was in remission as of 2006.