Olivia Newton-John, ‘Grease’ Star and Grammy Winner, Dead at 73

Actress and singer Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully in her home on Monday, her husband reports. She was 73 years old.

Her husband, John Easterling, said in a statement that she was surrounded by her family and friends when she passed away.

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

Newton-John grappled with breast cancer for much of her life, first being diagnosed with it in 1992 and then dealing with a case in 2013, going into remission and having a third case in 2017.

Easterling asked for people to respect the family’s privacy as they mourn her passing. The family also asked that people not send flowers, but instead make donations to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund.

Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England in 1948 and moved to Australia when she was five. She was in a band and appeared on local television stations while living there. Newton-John found fame after transitioning from country music to pop music, a move which landed her multiple top-10 hits in the U.S., including, “Let Me Be There,” “I Honestly Love You,” “Have You Never Been Mellow,” “You’re the One That I Want,” “Magic” and “Physical.”

Newton-John was best known for her role as Sandy in the hit 1978 movie “Grease” with actor John Travolta. Her website states that the movie remains “the most successful movie musical in history.”

Newton-John would star with Travolta again in the 1983 movie “Two of a Kind” in hopes of recreating the success of “Grease,” but the film was not as popular as it’s predecessor. The New York Times noted though that the soundtrack from the movie was successful even though the film was not.

Newton-John is survived by her husband; daughter Chloe Lattanzi; sister Sarah Newton-John; brother Toby Newton-John; nieces and nephews Tottie, Fiona and Brett Goldsmith; Emerson, Charlie, Zac, Jeremy, Randall, and Pierz Newton-John; Jude Newton-Stock, Layla Lee; Kira and Tasha Edelstein and Brin and Valerie Hall.