In the USA, Olivia Newton-John had long been a country star when she caused a sensation in Europe at the end of the 70s with her cheeky performance in "Grease". With "Physical" she finally secured her place in pop Olympus three years later. At 73, the British-Australian singer and actress loses her decades-long battle with breast cancer.
With loving words, John Travolta remembered his late "Grease" colleague Olivia Newton-John. "My dearest Olivia, you have made all of our lives so much better," the actor wrote on Instagram. "Your influence has been incredible. I love you so much". Travolta signed his post with "Your Danny, your John!". Travolta and Newton-John played high school couple Danny and Sandy in the acclaimed 1978 musical film Grease.
Many companions and fans expressed their sadness. The British-Australian actress and singer ("Physical") died in California on Monday. She had suffered from cancer for decades. Newton-John was 73 years old. "Too young to leave this world," Barbra Streisand wrote on Instagram for a joint photo from the 1970s.
Australian actor Hugh Jackman was also dismayed. "I'm devastated," the 53-year-old ("X-Men") wrote on Facebook. "It's no secret that Olivia was my first crush. I kissed her poster every night before bed." Jackman said it was "one of the great privileges of my life to meet her."
"Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn said on Twitter that he loved "Grease" and her music. She was his first big crush. The news of her death makes her so sad, wrote Oscar winner Marlee Matlin. Colleagues such as Mia Farrow, Antonio Banderas, George Takei and Brian Wilson also paid tribute to the deceased. Singer Melissa Etheridge mourned the loss of a "wonderful woman" and a "special talent". Newton-John was one of the first to give encouragement after Etheridge's own cancer diagnosis became known, the singer wrote on Twitter.
Newton-John had battled cancer for decades. "Olivia has been a symbol of victory and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer," her husband John Easterling posted on the British-Australian artist and breast cancer activist's social media channels. The singer and actress died "peacefully" at her ranch in Southern California on Monday morning. She was surrounded by friends and family, it said on Instagram.
For her own treatment, she relied on conventional medicine and cannabis products. Her husband is a plant expert who grows cannabis and prepares tinctures for her, the American-by-choice said in an interview in 2019. "I take it every day and that's how I got rid of strong painkillers." Her pioneering work with herbal healing methods is now to be continued with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation, Easterling said in his post on Monday.
It's been over 40 years since Newton-John caused a sensation with her cheeky performance in the hit film musical "Grease". In 1978, as blond, curly-haired Sandy, she turned John Travolta's head in the role of the rebellious Danny - with a curly lard and sideburns. Years before she sang songs like "You're The One That I Want" with a ponytail, pettycoat and Travolta in a duet on "Grease," Newton-John was a star, albeit in the country genre at the time.
Born in Cambridge, England, the granddaughter of the German Nobel Prize winner in physics, Max Born, and the daughter of a college president who emigrated to Australia, founded a girls' band as a schoolgirl. A talent competition brought the 15-year-old back to Great Britain. In 1966 she recorded her first record there. The folk blonde became known primarily in the USA with her cuddly songs. 1974's "Let Me Be There" was her first US hit. Songs like "On The Banks Of Ohio", "If You Love Me Let Me Know", "I Honestly Love You" and "Have You Never Been Mellow" made her a pop queen there.
After "Grease" she was back in front of the camera in 1980, for the fantasy musical "Xanadu" on roller skates to disco sounds with the hit songs "Xanadu", "Magic" and "Suddenly". A year later, the four-time Grammy winner released her most successful album, "Physical." The title song with the homoerotic video was voted "Sexiest Song of All Times" by "Billboard Magazine".
Her daughter from her marriage to dancer Matt Lattanzi was just six years old when Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. She canceled tours and temporarily moved to Australia from her adopted home of California. The marriage broke up in 1995. In 2008 she married Easterling. From their ranch in Santa Barbara, California, the couple championed the medicinal use of cannabis.
