As fate would have it, the couple's strong attraction for each other was sealed when Lee asked Ryan to check up on his wife while he was away filming.
The Love Story actor and pinup girl went on to become one of Hollywood's 'it' couples, which included welcoming son Redmond in 1985.
Farrah and Ryan split in 1997 after 18-years together, but they reconciled four years later when the actress took care of Ryan after he was diagnosed with leukemia.
The tables were turned in 2006 when Farrah was diagnosed with anal cancer.
Art: An Andy Warhol print of Ryan's long time love Farrah Fawcett hung above the bed and a bar cabinet was visible behind them
Oldest child: Tatum is the oldest and only girl out of Ryan's four children
Ryan was at Farrah's bedside during her final weeks in the hospital, where he finally proposed marriage.
'I think they would've married if she had made it because he asked her to marry him in the hospital and she said yes. But she took a turn for the worse,' Farrah's friend Alana Stewart told People.
'The two of them had a deep bond and deep love. No matter what they went through, the ups and downs, he was the one she wanted by her side.
Farrah passed away as O'Neal held her hand on June 25, 2009.