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Singer and Grease star Olivia Newton-John dies at 73

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Singer and Grease star Olivia Newton-John dies at 73

Olivia Newton-John has died at the age of 73, her husband has confirmed.

The British-born singer passed away peacefully on Monday morning at her ranch in Southern California.

She was best known for her role as Sandy Olsson in the musical film Grease (1978), starring opposite John Travolta. Her performance was nominated for multiple awards, including two Golden Globes.

Taking to Instagram, Travolta acknowledged her “incredible impact” and signed off his tribute post with “your Danny”.

“My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!” – John Travalota

Grease’s soundtrack is one of the world’s best-selling albums, and includes two hit duets from Dame Olivia and Travolta: Summer Nights and You’re The One That I Want.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, the entertainer, whose career spanned five decades, dedicated much of her time and fame to charities.

Born in Cambridge, England, Newton-John was the son of Welsh professor Brin Newton-John and his German-born wife Irene, the daughter of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Max Born. When she was five, she moved with her family to Melbourne.

After winning Australian talent show Sing, Sing, Sing, she returned to British shores in 1966 where she recorded her first single, Till You Say You’ll Be Mine. She then formed a partnership with a friend from Melbourne, Pat Carroll, to tour Army bases and clubs in the UK and Europe.

After her second single, If Not For You, reached the top 10 in the UK and Australia, she went on to top the Australian charts with Banks Of The Ohio.

As the UK’s representative to the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, she placed fourth with Long Live Love.

In the years following Eurovision, Newton-John continued to enjoy pop music success before landing the role in Grease that would come to define her career. A huge success at the Box Office, Grease was 1978’s biggest movie.

In 1984, she married actor Matt Lattanzi, with whom she had a daughter in 1986, Chloe Rose. They were divorced in 1995.

She married businessman and conservationist John Easterling in 2008.

In a statement posted to Instagram, Easterling wrote:

“We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time. Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.”

Newton-John became a prominent breast cancer campaigner after receiving the first of three cancer diagnoses in 1992. She underwent a partial mastectomy and reconstruction but was diagnosed with the disease for a second and third time in 2013 and 2018 respectively.

She treated the disease “naturally” with cannabis oil and was an advocate for the legalisation of medical marijuana.

She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1979 New Year Honours and was made a Dame in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to charity, cancer research and entertainment.

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