This is a new kind of reality for Ryan O’Neal.
The 70-year-old actor released a statement Monday confirming that he has recently been diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer.
O’Neal previously revealed to People Friday that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer, but corrected the diagnosis in the new statement.
“Although I was shocked and stunned by the news, I feel fortunate that it was detected early and according to my extraordinary team of doctors the prognosis is positive for a full recovery,” he told the magazine in a statement.
O’Neal’s diagnosis comes just three years after his longtime love, Farrah Fawcett, died of anal cancer. She was 62.
“I am deeply grateful for the support of my friends and family during this time, and I urge everyone to get regular checkups, as early detection is the best defense against this horrible disease that has afflicted so many,” he continued.
This is not the first time O’Neal has faced a health scare.
The “Love Story” actor revealed in March 1998 that he had chronic myelogenous leukemia, and has been in remission since 2006, according to Us Weekly.
Earlier in the week, O’Neal had his fists up over a battle of a different kind. The actor found himself in a war of words with primetime queen Oprah Winfrey over his reality show “Ryan and Tatum: The O’Neals,” which showed on Winfrey’s OWN network.
“I wish we would had known that,” he told TMZ of Winfrey’s recent admission that she wasn’t ready to launch her network at the time. “She should have told us.”
“I don’t know if Oprah saw it,” he concluded about his show’s low ratings.
O’Neal will next release a memoir, “Both of Us,” about his life with Fawcett, on May 1.
