The star of the hit musical Grease, Olivia Newton-John has died…
OBITUARY by Ian Woolley
The Award-winning singer and actress died on Monday at the age of 73, after battling breast cancer for over 30 years.
One of the most successful singers of all time, she had four Grammy Awards and in the UK alone, had three chart-topping singles. The last No.1 Xanadu, was a collaboration with ELO in 1980.
Despite being considered Australian, Olivia was born in Cambridge, England but moved to Melbourne when she was six years old. At 15 she moved to England and represented the UK in the infamous 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.
Despite coming a credible fourth with her entry Long Live Love, the contest will be remembered for the emergence of Abba who won the contest.
After moving to the US, she continued to break into the country and pop scene with sporadic chart success back home in England.
At 29 she played the lead part of Sandy in the 1978 film Grease – playing the character of a much younger high school student. Alongside co-star John Travolta, they duetted on two No.1’s You’re The One That I Want and Summer Nights. To this day, Grease remains one of the highest-grossing film musicals ever, having taken nearly $400m at the box office with the album sold over 28 million copies.
First diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, sadly her cancer returned in 2017 and as recent as January she was upbeat as she announced that her tumors were shrinking.
Her family released a statement saying “she passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California surrounded by her family and friends. Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” the statement said. “Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”
Her family has asked that any donations be made in her memory to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund.