Tatum O'Neal has had a troubled relationship with celebrity, born into a family of actors and beginning her own acting career at the tender age of nine.
At 10, she became the youngest person in history to win an Academy Award for her supporting role opposite Hollywood icon dad Ryan O'Neal in 1973's Paper Moon.
In a new cover story with People magazine, the 59-year-old got real about dealing with addiction as a result of her early brush with fame and how it's impacted her health and relationship with her family.
© Getty ImagesTatum and her three children from her marriage to tennis legend John McEnroe from 1986-1994, Kevin, Sean, and Emily, discussed her journey to sobriety stemming from a near-fatal overdose in the early days of the pandemic.
She revealed that in May 2020, she had suffered a severe stroke which left her in a six-week coma, telling the publication she "almost died."
READ: What is frontotemporal dementia? Bruce Willis’ devastating health condition explained
Kevin, 37, described the moment he and his siblings found out, saying: "It was the phone call we'd always been waiting for. She also had a cardiac arrest and a number of seizures. There were times we didn't think she was going to survive."
© Getty ImagesHe talked of his mother's use of pharmaceutical drugs and feelings of isolation ahead of the stroke, adding: "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."
In the hospital, Tatum had been diagnosed with Aphasia, a language disorder that affected her ability to communicate and her memory, and she was unable to speak or communicate after initially coming out of the coma.
MORE: Stars who had to retire from acting careers due to illness
However, through consistent therapy and hard work, the actress has worked on regaining her full memory and a grasp over her vocabulary.
© Getty ImagesTatum described her own journey with addiction and stints in rehab, saying: "I was an addict my whole life, pretty much on and off, for the past 30 to 40 years."
DISCOVER: AGT's Howie Mandel 'not proud' of health disorder he passed down to his daughter
In her 2004 autobiography, A Paper Life, the actress attributed her struggles with addiction to alleged physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her father Ryan, which he has denied.
© Getty ImagesThe two were estranged for decades, but publicly worked towards repairing their relationship in 2011 in the OWN series Ryan and Tatum: The O'Neals. Tatum has adopted a slow but steady road to sobriety and recovery since then.
MORE: Madonna discharged from hospital after battling 'serious' infection, her friend confirms
Kevin, who is on his own sobriety journey, praised his mom, telling the outlet: "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."
© Getty ImagesThe Little Darlings star concluded: "Every day I am trying. I want to be with my beautiful three kids."
