Farrah Fawcett’s only son, Redmond O’Neal, debuted a new set of tattoos during a court appearance on Tuesday as he faced criminal charges.
The 41-year-old was seen in an LA courtroom with devil horn tattoos on his forehead, as well as ink on his cheek that read “5250”. This number could be a reference to the California penal code, which authorizes a 14-day involuntary hold for people requiring mental health treatment.
Redmond has been in and out of jail and mental health facilities for several years, with his most recent stint due to an alleged crime spree committed in 2018. His recent court appearance saw him face the charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, after he allegedly attacked a man with a glass bottle and stabbed another in 2018.
Redmond was recently deemed competent to stand trial after spending time in a psychiatric facility. Farrah’s close friend and Redmond’s conservator, Mela Murphy, told People that the former child actor was working on his recovery.
“Redmond has been drug-free and a model patient for five years now at Patton State Hospital,” she said. “He has had to overcome so much in his life. We are proud of him, and Farrah would be too. He finally got a proper mental health diagnosis and medication.”
“I believe his serious drug problems in the past were a result of not having mental health support in his earlier life,” she continued.
© WireImage“Today, he is participating in 12-step recovery, helps out patients, reads every day, and has found a spiritual life. There are many friends and supporters of Redmond who are in contact with him and are so proud of his journey to recovery.”
Redmond is the son of Farrah Fawcett and her on-and-off-again partner, Ryan O’Neal. While the Charlie’s Angels star passed away in 2009 after a lengthy cancer battle, Ryan died in 2023 at the age of 82 from congestive heart failure.
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyMela shared that Farrah’s final words before her death were for Redmond, as she implored her friend to take care of him. “She was saying his name, ‘Redmond’. That was the last thing she said,” Mela recalled to People. “I told her I’d take care of him, that I’ll always be there for him. I said, ‘You can go now.’ It was just a few hours before she died.”
Redmond has faced several stints in jail over the years, as well as multiple drug charges. His half-sister, Tatum O’Neal, has also battled with addiction over the years, culminating in a major stroke in 2020 that left her in a coma.
© WireImageThe Oscar-winning actress told the publication that she tried to support her brother through his addiction, but that she felt he had reached the point of no return.
© AFP via Getty Images“He’s got addiction problems so bad that it breaks my heart,” she said. “Nobody knows what to do with Redmond. From what I’ve seen, there is no way he’s going to survive.”
“I asked him, ‘Why don’t you come to a [12-step] meeting with me?’ He said, ‘I don’t want to go to any meetings,'” she continued. “I wanted to mother him. Now that his mother is gone, I wanted him to know there was a woman in his life he could turn to. But unfortunately, the disease has overtaken him.”
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