Not long ago, I blogged about the recent drug related arrest of actress Mackenzie Phillips. Like Robert Downey, Jr., she was raised in what I consider to be an abusive household where drugs were frequently used by at least one of their parents. You probably know that Mackenzie and Robert have had lifelong struggles with drug addiction (although I am glad to report that Robert has been clean for several years). I know some will say that the addiction is biological, but I think environment has a lot to do with it as well.
That being said let me move on to another family that is notorious for drug use. This week, police arrested actor Ryan O’Neal and his son Redmond for suspicion of drugs. The 24 year old Redmond’s name has been in the news on and off for years and only for one reason – drugs. This week is no different. Police searched the Malibu house during a routine probation check and reportedly found methamphetamine. The two were released on $10,000 bond. Ryan’s lawyer claim that the drugs, which were found in his bedroom, did not belong to him.
This family cannot seem to stay out of trouble. Daughter Tatum lost custody of her children to her ex John McEnroe in 1998 because of her drug use. In her autobiography “A Paper Life,” Tatum blames many of her problems on her father’s drug abuse. She was recently arrested while trying to purchase crack cocaine in Manhattan after years of apparently being sober. Her brother Griffin has also struggled with addiction. Some believe he was using drugs during a boat outing that tragically resulted in the death of Francis Ford Coppola’s son Gian-Carlo Coppola in 1986. There are even rumors that Ryan knocked out Griffin’s front two teeth after a fight about drugs in the ‘80s. In February 2007, Ryan was charged with assault after Griffin struck him with a fireplace poker. Some reports said that Griffin had chained half-brother Redmond (his mom is Farrah Fawcett) to a staircase to prevent him from purchasing drugs.
I am not sure what it will take to clean up this family, but this latest arrest is no indication that they are on their way to Soberville.