Singer and actor Olivia Newton-John dies at 73
She was best known for her performance in the 1978 musical ‘Grease’ alongside actor John Travolta.
British-Australian pop singer and actor Olivia Newton-John died on Monday at her ranch in southern California, her husband John Easterling said.
“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” he wrote in a post on her Facebook page.
Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, AFP reported. In 2017, she said that cancer had spread to her lower back, forcing her to cancel her performances, Reuters reported.
“I don’t like to say ‘battled’...I like to say ‘win over’, because ‘battled’ sets up this anger and inflammation that you don’t want,” she reportedly told Australia’s Channel Seven TV at the time.
The singer shot to fame in 1971 with her hit song If Not for You. It was followed in the next few years by Let Me Be There, which won her a Grammy for best female country vocal performance.
She was also known for her pop and country songs including Physical, Please Mr. Please and Have You Never Been Mellow.
Newton-John is most well known for her performance in the 1978 musical Grease, alongside actor John Travolta. Her role as Sandy Olsson, a simple high school girl who undergoes a transformation later, brought her worldwide fame.
Multiple singles from Grease became huge hits, like Summer Nights and You’re The One I Want.
Travolta said that his former co-star “made all of our lives so much better” and made an incredible impact.
“We will see you down the road and we will all be together again,” he wrote on Instagram.