Warhol Farrah Fawcett Portrait Missing

Ryan O'Neal

An Andy Warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett valued at up to $10 million has gone missing from her estate. Private investigators have been called in to try and track down the work which was bequeathed to the University of Texas where the actress attended art college in the late 1960’s. Her on/off partner Ryan O’Neal is prepared to fight to clear his name over the mystery surrounding the painting. In addition, it has been reported that O’Neal has been paying insurance to make sure the painting is covered for theft and damage. This is more of a dispute over ownership, rather than a theft. Adding to his case O’Neal has stated, that the painting is indeed his and it was given to him long before his partners death. Fawcett’s estate has now finished the probate process and it is clear that Ryan was cut out of the will, with the bulk of the $6 million (£3.8 million) estate passing to the couple’s son Redmond Fawcett O’Neal, who was jailed for drug offences in 2009. He has received, $4.5 million (£2.8 million).

University of Texas curators are now making enquiries into cataloguing the artwork and they are especially interested in an 1980 Warhol portrait of the former Charlie Angel’s star. After her death one of the two Warhol portraits in her collection was delivered to the university’s Austin campus, but the other never arrived. The iconic portrait has actually been hanging in Mr O’Neal’s bedroom in his luxurious Malibu beachfront home and is seen in the first episode of  the documentary Ryan & Tatum, The O’Neals, a reality show which delves into the volitile relationship between O’Neal and his daughter. A representative for O’Neal said the Oscar nominated actor has not betrayed Fawcett’s final wishes.

Today is the eve of the second anniversary of Farrah’s death from cancer, age 62 on June 25, 2009

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