Tatum snubs sick dad

TORMENTED Tatum O'Neal is refusing to speak to her cancer- stricken father - even though friends say he may not have long to live.

Tatum's Irish American dad Ryan, who co-starred with her in Paper Moon - the movie that won the former child star an Oscar - is heartbroken his daughter has shut him out of her life.

The 38-year-old actress, who endured a tempestuous marriage to tennis legend John McEnroe, has locked herself away while she writes a book documenting her life with the sporting genius once dubbed Super Brat.

Former Hollywood heartthrob Ryan, who is battling leukaemia, has been sending out messages to all his daughter's pals begging her to get in touch with him.

"Ryan is terribly upset Tatum won't talk to him," says a friend.

"They couldn't have been closer when Tatum was a kid but when Ryan hooked up with Charlie's Angel star Farrah Fawcett Majors, she felt very alienated.

"They stopped talking for years but there was an emotional reunion when Tatum found out about Ryan's cancer.

"It looks like since McEnroe's book came out, she has gone back into her shell again. He could really do with support as he fights his illness."

Ryan said: "I remember the war of words that was going on between her and John but I didn't read the book.

"I couldn't read it. I didn't want to know that. I just wish I knew how Tatum was doing. I'd like to reconnect."

The family split comes at a time when troubled Tatum needs a helping hand. She was recently discharged from Los Angeles' Promises rehab centre after completing a 34-day program to deal with her drug addiction.

Friends say she suffered a relapse after reading Super Mac's savage comments about her in his own book, You Cannot Be Serious, in which he labelled her an unfit mother who was more interested in scoring drugs than looking after their three children.

Her own autobiography - due out next year - will portray three- time Wimbledon champ McEnroe as a cruel and vicious bully who cared more about tennis than he did about her.

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