Eve Davies
Beloved actress, singer, and activist, best known for her iconic role as Sandy in Grease, Olivia Newton-John passed away on Monday 8 August at the age of 73.
From twinsets and calf-length skirts to skin-tight leather in her role as Sandy, Newton-John will always be remembered for arguably the most iconic transformation the musical world has ever seen. The innocent girl next door, striking sex bomb, and classy Pink Lady – she could pull it all off.
Her husband John Easterling confirmed her death in a statement posted to Newton-John’s Facebook page, which read: “Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends.” In the post, he encouraged individuals to continue supporting the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”
Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, when she was 43. Before she went into remission. In 2017, she revealed her breast cancer had returned and spread to her lower back, progressing to stage IV. She also had a second cancer diagnosis in 2013.
In an interview with the Australian news programme A Current Affair, Newton-John’s niece, Tottie Goldsmith, revealed that when she asked her aunt if she was afraid of dying, newton-John replied: “‘I’m not afraid. I’ve done more in my life than I could have ever imagined.”
Late on Tuesday night, Newton-John’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi posted an emotional video tribute to her mother on Instagram.
The stage production of Grease The Musical is currently running at the Dominium theatre.
Olivia Moore, the actor currently playing Sandy in the musical, read out the announcement of Newton-John’s death during Monday night’s performance.
On social media, the production announced they were dedicating the rest of their run to Newton-John’s memory.
Our thoughts are with Olivia’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.
We’d like to dedicate this evening’s performance and the rest of our run to Olivia’s memory and everything she represented. 3/3
— Grease West End (@GREASEWestEnd) August 8, 2022
Newton-John’s family asked that in lieu of flowers, any donations be made in her memory to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund. Her family asked that in lieu of flowers, any donations be made in her memory to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund.
Featured image courtesy of DOWNUNDER in NZ on Flickr. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
evedaviess
Eve is 22 years old and lives in Swansea. She has recently graduated from Cardiff University with a BA in English Literature. Eve's main interest is in lifestyle writing, particularly health, food, and travel.