Watch Olivia Newton-John's jaw-dropping final performance before her death
11 August 2022, 09:15 | Updated: 12 August 2022, 08:31
The Grease actress was battling cancer as she gave her last jaw-dropping performance in public at a charity concert in Australia in 2020.
Dame Olivia Newton-John was last seen on stage by fans in 2020 – two years before her death in August 2022, aged 73.
A famed philanthropist, the star's final performance saw her singing to raise awareness for Australia's fight against wild fires in February 2020.
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Olivia's final turn on stage was during her battle with breast cancer, which had returned in 2017, and just two months after she was made a Dame in the New Year's Honours list.
The Fire Fight Australia concert saw Olivia Newton-John perform with famous Aussie singer, John Farnham, most famous for his 1986 hit, 'You're The Voice', as the duo headlined a stunning line-up of world-famous acts.
The duo sing 'Two Strong Hearts' before Olivia came back on stage for the finale of 'You're The Voice' with Queen and a team of Australian firefighters.
Taking to the stage with John Farnham, Olivia said to the crowd: "What an amazing night. I’m so proud to be a part of this," she said before turning to John and adding: "...and singing with you again."
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The duo then performed John's 1988 hit 'Two Strong Hearts' – a song that Dionne Warwick also covered in 1988 – as the crowd went wild at the sight of two such prolific Australian legends.
Held on February 16, 2020, the concert took place just weeks before the coronavirus epidemic would cause Australia to close its borders on March 19.
Grease star Dame Olivia Newton-John dies aged 73
Delta Goodrem, Alice Cooper, Michael Bublé and Adam Lambert were among the line-up of other famous stars to travel to Sydney and lend their voices to the cause.
The concert, held at Sydney's Accor Stadium, was broadcast live on Australian television and ran for an incredible 10 hours, eventually raising $9.85 million for bushfire relief.
Olivia raised millions for charity in her lifetime and since her death, it's been revealed the star started putting measures in place for a large part of her fortune to go to charity.
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The Grease star was the founder of The Olivia Newton-John Foundation and founded the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre at Melbourne’s Austin Hospital in 2012.
In an incredible final act of kindness, it's been revealed that three years before her death Olivia Newton-John committed a huge portion of her personal fortune to the foundation and wellness centre.
Watch Olivia Newton-John's last performance from 10:50 in the video below:
John Farnham & Olivia Newton-John - Live for Fire Fight Australia (16/02/2020)
Olivia raised the money by selling off her large portfolio of real estate, the New York Post reports.
Records show the singer transferred ownership of her favourite home, the 12-acre horse ranch in California where she spent her final days, to her husband John Easterling, who then re-financed the mortgage with $2.5 million left on the home.
July 2019 then saw the British-born star – who relocated to Australia at the age of 14 – put her Australian property on the market.
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The 189-acre farm in New South Wales was a retreat for Olivia, John and her daughter Chloe Rose Lattanzi, 36, who she had with first husband, Matt Lattanzi.
The couple bought the land in the 1980s and totally remodelled the home in the early 2000s, turning the estate into a stunning French-inspired sprawling compound and just a month after listing the home, the Australian property sold for $4.6 million.
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The Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre at Melbourne’s Austin Hospital cost an incredible $189 million to create and was brought into fruition through state, federal and philanthropic funding.
A spokesperson from Austin Health, which runs the ONJ centre, released a statement upon her death, giving thanks and announcing the centre will hold a memorial for the star.
"We are incredibly grateful for the special relationship we had with Olivia for many years. Her generous support and gift provided hope and changed the lives of thousands of cancer patients," they said.
"She was the light at the end of the tunnel for many, many people."
Olivia spent her last days surrounded by friends and family in the tranquillity at her Californian home in the tranquillity of the San Ynez Valley, before her death on Monday, August 8, 2022.
