Olivia Newton-John Has Passed Away at the Age of 73
It is with a heavy heart that we here at MickeyBlog share the news that beloved actress and songstress, Olivia Newton-John has passed away at the age of 73. The announcement was made on her Instagram page below:
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Newton-John, was best known for her role as Sandy in the blockbuster movie Grease. She co-starred alongside John Travolta who also took to social media this afternoon to pay tribute to the actress.
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Her husband John Easterling said that Newton-John passed away peacefully at her Southern California ranch surrounded by her friends and family. The statement continued, “Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.”
According to a piece on CNN.com, the actress revealed back in 2018 that she was being treated for cancer at the base of her spine which was her third cancer diagnosis. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in the early ’90s and again in 2017.
Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England in 1940 but moved with her family to Melbourne, Australia when she was five. She first rose to fame after winning a talent contest called “Sing, Sing, Sing.” She formed an all-girl group and became a familiar face on pop-music programs in Australia.
In 1973 she started to get American radio air-play with songs like, “Let Be There,” “I Honestly Love You,” “Have You Never Been Mellow” and “Please Mr. Please.” However, it wasn’t until Grease came out in 1978 that she became a cultural icon.
Here fame continued with the 1981 hit “Physical” as well as the musical fantasy “Xandu” where she starred opposite Hollywood Legend Gene Kelly. Though the film failed to reach Grease’s heights, the song “Magic” from the film became a No 1. hit. You can see Olivia Newton-John performing the song in front of the Chinese Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for a filming of Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings.
Throughout her life, Olivia Newton-John continued to perform and record music. She made noteworthy appearances in Glee, and had a long running Summer Nights residency at the Flamingo in Las Vegas.
“I love to sing, it’s all I know how to do,” she told CNN in 2017. “That’s all I’ve ever done since I was 15, so it’s my life. I feel very grateful that I can still do it and people still come to see me.”
Here at MickeyBlog, our deepest condolences go out to Oliva’s family, friends and colleagues. She will be deeply missed.