Tatum O’Neal reveals she had a near-fatal overdose and stroke: ‘I almost died’

‘I was an addict my whole life,’ she says

Tatum O’Neal has revealed that she had a near-fatal overdose and stroke in 2020.

During a recent interview with People, the 59-year-old actor recalled how she overdosed on drugs and suffered a severe stroke, which left her in a coma for six weeks. “I almost died,” O’Neal, who’s been open about her issues with drugs, said.

As noted by the publication, she overdosed on a combination of pain medication, opiates and morphine, in May 2020. At the time, she was abusing the prescribed medications for back and neck pain and her rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that affects the immune system.

When O’Neal overdosed in her Los Angeles apartment, a friend found her and quickly brought her to the hospital. According to O’Neal’s oldest son, Kevin McEnroe, who she shares with ex-husband John McEnroe, his mother “had become very isolated” before she overdosed.

“With the addition of morphine and heavier pharmaceuticals, it was getting scary. COVID, chronic pain, all these things led to a place of isolation. In that place, I don’t think, for her, there was much hope,” he said.

Along with her eldest, the Paper Moon star shares a 35-year-old son, Sean McEnroe, and 32-year-old daughter, Emily McEnroe, with the tennis star.

While in the hospital in May 2020, she was diagnosed with aphasia, “a disorder that affects how you communicate,” impacting the way you speak and write, as noted by the Mayo Clinic. At the time, she was in a coma “and had damage to her right frontal cortex,” according to Kevin.

“At times, it was touch and go,” he said.  “I had to call my brother and sister and say she was thought to be blind, deaf and potentially might never speak again.”

Kevin also noted that when his mother came out of the coma, she had trouble speaking: “She didn’t know where she was,” he explained. “She couldn’t say, ‘I’m scared.’”

He went on to recall that he and his siblings couldn’t visit their mother in the hospital, due to Covid-19 restrictions. “When Emily first visited her, she had to stand behind glass,” he said, while noting that his family mainly communicated with O’Neal through video and phone calls.

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For two years after the overdose, O’Neal was under medical supervision and having regular therapy sessions. While she’s continued to regain her memory and improve her vocabulary over time, according to Kevin, she’s still in recovery.

“Emotionally the things that made my mom want to take drugs in the first place, those things are still very present,” he said.

O’Neal has also been in daily therapy sessions and frequently attends 12-step meetings, with her physician helping her through this recovery work. “I’ve been trying to get sober my whole life,” she said “Every day, I am trying.”

She’s been in rehabilitation facilities, throughout the last three years, to improve her reading and writing. While looking back at her recovery process, she noted: “I’ve been through a lot.”

O’Neal also recalled that throughout various times in her life, she struggled with heroin addiction. Some of her drug issues came as she and her ex were in the limelight, as they were in the midst of a public divorce and custody battle over their children.

“I was an addict my whole life. Pretty much on and off, for the past 30 to 40 years,” she told People, as she noted that she’s since worked on getting sober for her children.

As Kevin reflected on his mother’s life, he noted that while she “always wanted sobriety as a mom”, she never really wanted it for herself”. However, he said that her perspective on getting sober has now changed.

“She has embraced this attempt at recovery. She was always a very loving mom but when isolated, I think it was hard to find any love for herself,” he said.

Kevin, who has been sober for three years after struggling with drug and alcohol use, went on to describe how “proud” he is of his mother.

“So to me this last chapter where she wants to live, wants to get sober, wants to learn, I think it’s a miracle,” he said. “I think it’s beautiful. I’ve never been more proud to be her son. She’s full of love and full of heart.”

O’Neal emphasised how she’s focused on her family amid her recovery, adding: “Every day I am trying. I want to be with my beautiful three kids.”

If you or someone you know is suffering from drug addiction, you can seek confidential help and support 24-7 from Frank, by calling 0300 123 6600, texting 82111, sending an email or visiting their website here.