Olivia Newton-John has died, aged 73
8 August 2022, 20:56 | Updated: 9 August 2022, 09:25
Grease star Olivia Newton-John has died at the age of 73, it has been announced.
Her husband John Easterling confirmed on Facebook that she had passed away at her California ranch on Monday morning (August 8).
"Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer," the statement said.
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"We ask that everyone please respect the family's privacy during this very difficult time."
In 2017, Olivia revealed that the breast cancer she had first battled in 1992 had returned, and had now spread to her spine.
She said that she believed she could “win over it”, and called upon Australia to adopt the laws of the US state where she lived, California, to allow medicinal marijuana.
Olivia Newton-John started out as a country pop singer, and even represented the UK at Eurovision in the mid-1970s. She went on to win four Grammys and sold over 100 million records.
She became best known for her starring role of Sandy in 1978's Grease, opposite her lifelong friend John Travolta. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for the role, and performed the song 'Hopelessly Devoted to You' at the 1979 Oscars.
She was born in Cambridge, England, in 1948, and her family emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, when she was six.
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Olivia Newton-John is survived by her husband, John Easterling, and her daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi.
John Travolta has paid tribute, writing on Instagram that she "made all of our lives so much better".
"Your impact was incredible. I love you so much," he wrote.
"We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever!"
