Ryan O'Neal: Oscar-nominated star of Love Story and Bones, has died, his son says

Love Story actor Ryan O'Neal has died at the age of 82, his son has said.

Writing on Instagram, Peter O'Neal wrote: "So this is the toughest thing I've ever had to say but here we go. My dad passed away peacefully today, with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us."

"This is very difficult for my wife Summer and I, but I will share some feelings to give you an idea of how great a man he is."

Ryan O'Neal was among the biggest movie stars of the 1970s.

He worked across genres with many of the era's most celebrated directors, such as Peter Bogdanovich on Paper Moon, where he starred opposite his nine-year-old daughter Tatum, and Stanley Kubrick on the period piece Barry Lyndon.

Tatum O'Neal said in a statement to People magazine: "He meant the world to me. I loved him very much and know he loved me too."

His role in Love Story - a 1970 tear-jerker drama co-starring Ali MacGraw, about a young couple who fall in love, marry and discover she is dying of cancer - earned him an Oscar nomination.

Paper Moon earned him a Golden Globe nod.

Most recently, he appeared in Bones, as the father of the main character, and Desperate Housewife.

O'Neal is also known for his tumultuous relationship with actress Farrah Fawcett, who initially left him in the late 1990s, before the pair got together again in 2001 until her death eight years later.

'Bigger than life'

Peter O'Neal described his father as "bigger than life", saying he "crushed" the 1970s.

He added: "My dad became an international movie star with Love Story at the beginning of the 1970's, a decade he absolutely crushed by starring in movies like What's Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, Barry Lyndon, A Bridge Too Far, The Main Event, and The Driver.

"He is a Hollywood legend. Full stop.

"The growth spurt of the first name Ryan can be traced back to my dad. That's a fact. He was Rodney Harrington on Peyton Place three days a week (he starred in 500 shows over five years) and then of course the name Ryan peaked after Love Story (the film that saved Paramount Studios and earned my dad a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame)."