Friends and Family Pay Tribute to Olivia Newton-John Who Passed Away at Age 73

Olivia’s widower, John Easterling, posted a statement on social media — “Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends. We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.

“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer. Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”

Soon after the news broke, Olivia’s co-star, John Travolta turned to social media to pay tribute to his long-time friend. The two starred together in the classic 1978 film, Grease, as the beloved lead characters. The actors became lifelong friends thanks to the movie and went on to support each other through the ups and downs of life.

In a 2018 interview, Travolta shared, “When you share that kind of meteoric success — and nothing has been able to exceed it — you share a bond. I’ve been through her having a child, getting divorced, losing her sister. She’s been through my getting married, having children. It’s wonderful and full of shared memories.”

John Travolta was far from the only star to pay tribute to Olivia. Other Grease crew and cast shared memories of her. Randal Kleiser, who directed Grease told a reporter, “I’m heartbroken. She was one of a kind, and so very kind. For over four decades of our friendship, she exuded nothing but love to everyone she met. Olivia was exactly the way you imagined her. I will miss her forever.”

Stockard Channing — who portrayed Rizzo — also wrote, “I don’t know if I’ve known a lovelier human being. Olivia was the essence of summer; her sunniness, her warmth, and her grace are what always come to mind when I think of her. I will miss her enormously.” Australian Singer, Kylie Minogue tweeted, “She was, and always will be, an inspiration to me in so many, many ways. My deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. x ONJ4EVER.”

Olivia was 28 when she played the iconic role of Sandy. The film was a massive success — becoming the biggest box-office hit that year. The soundtrack is still one of the most successful albums of all time.

She started in another cult classic, the musical fantasy Xanadu, in 1980. And a year later, she released her most successful music album, Physical — which reached double platinum despite the controversy that surrounded the provocative lyrics of the titular song.

Olivia was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, which forced her to halt her career and cancel her planned tour. She recovered and decided to use her fame to advocate for breast cancer research, alongside all the other humanitarian issues she had spent her career advocating for.

She raised funds to build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Center in Melbourne, Australia, in 2008. In May 2017, she announced that her cancer had returned. She later revealed, though, that this was actually the third time her illness had returned. She passed away at the age of 73.