Voight heartbroken by rift with kids

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NEW YORK, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. actor Jon Voight says he finds it "heartbreaking" that his children say unflattering things about him in the media, People.com reported Tuesday.

Voight, who is best-known for his roles in "Midnight Cowboy," "Coming Home" and "Transformers," has been estranged for years from Angelina Jolie and James Haver.

Voight issued a statement Tuesday following Haver's harsh words in a recent magazine interview.

"I find it very heartbreaking that my children want to paint a bad portrait of me. I feel that it comes from their inability to let go of years of programmed anger from their mother (the late Marchelin Bertrand) who understandably felt quite hurt when we divorced," Voight explained.

"In all truth, I tried to give them and their mother continuous love and support and large sums of money. God knows for years, I've tried to mend this relationship. Perhaps the trauma of their mother's passing has made it worse. I continuously send them my heart and love and I'm always available to them for whatever they may need from me."