Olivia Newton-John, who rocketed to stardom in the hit movie “Grease” and starred in three Disney movies along with a long series of hit songs on the Disney Channel, has died at age 73.
Her official Facebook page posted the news on Sunday night, saying Newton-John died with family by her side. The statement from the singer says she died with love in her heart and was at home in the arms of her husband John Easterling.
No further details were given, but Newton-John was diagnosed last year with breast cancer that had metastasized to the sacrum.
In February, Newton-John posted on her Facebook page that she was in remission.
“In one of the darkest moments of my life, I am happy to say that today, I am still alive and one of the luckiest people who ever lived,” Newton-John said in the post. “I am in the hands of the beautiful and talented doctors at the Cancer Center at Cedars-Sinai who have lovingly cared for me since I was first diagnosed.”
Newton-John, who shot to stardom in “Grease,” was nominated for 10 Grammy Awards and won one.
Starting in 1975, she starred in three Disney movies in a span of six years: “Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales,” ”Faerie Tale Theatre” and “Pocahontas.” She also released a series of solo albums, including “Into the Blue” and “Liv on Four Legs,” and made guest appearances on TV shows including “Bonanza,” ”Columbo” and “The Love Boat.”
“Grease” was a box office smash and featured the iconic musical numbers “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” ”Greased Lightnin’” and “You’re the One that I Want.” The film starred John Travolta and included songs by Newton-John, Claude Nichols and Jim Jacobs and book by Warren Casey and Gus Kahn. The movie was the second highest grossing of the year, behind “Jaws.”
“The first time I saw the movie was when I was 12 and it literally changed my life. I made the choice to become an entertainer. To me, it was like going to Hollywood,” Newton-John told USA Today in 2015.
“I became totally engrossed in it and my whole life changed. I became very self-conscious about my hair and my looks. I started to dress differently. I started to wear my hair differently. I started to play the piano. All because of Grease.”
Newton-John kept up appearances when she moved to the United States, but the transition wasn’t easy.
“When I came over here in 1969, the Aussie accent was not a commodity. It was not in vogue. It was considered very odd. So I actually changed my name,” she told the newspaper.
Newton-John was married twice and had three children.
Her second husband was songwriter John Easterling, who died of a brain tumor in 1996. They had a son, Zachary, who also became a singer. Her third husband was stuntman Peter John Burgess, who died of a heart attack in 2002.
In between marriages, Newton-John had a relationship with Travolta that lasted from 1978 to 1984.
Travolta recently said he had remained in touch with his “Grease” co-star, and they had recently bonded over their cancer diagnoses.
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