Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John from Grease fame died of cancer at 73. She died today (August 8) at her ranch in southern California, as confirmed by her husband, John Easterling, who posted on her Instagram account with a statement.
Since being diagnosed with cancer, she started the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, a foundation for plant-based medicine for cancer patients. The organization uses donations to fund research into holistic medicine to prevent and treat cancer. The Instagram post written by her husband asks people to donate to honor her. The actress’ cancer diagnosis came in as her third. She had breast cancer in the 90s and in 2017. In 2018, she revealed she was having treatment for cancer at the base of her spine.
Grease Star Olivia Newton-John dies at 73 from cancer
The rise of Olivia Newton-John came in the 70s with various country and soft rock songs that charted well. Starring in the 1978 classic musical with John Travolta skyrocketed her career. She was not much into acting at that point, but her performance as the Australian transfer student Sandy worked out, putting her on the map in the film industry along with her placement in the music business. Other major films she went on to do were Two of a Kind and Xanadu.
In the 80s, Olivia Newton-John took her music career further with some controversy. Writing more explicit lyrics, the singer got sexier, which got her lasting long on the Billboard Hot 100 with Physical, but the song also had been banned by multiple radio stations. Over the course of her singing career, she delivered big hits for films she worked on, four Grammy Awards, and sold more than 100 million records.
Olivia Newton-John is survived by her family with her husband Easterling, her daughter Chloe Lattanzi, sister Sarah Newton-John, brother Toby Newton-John, nieces and nephews Tottie, Fiona, and Brett Goldsmith.