Olivia Newton John who soared to international stardom as both a singer and movie star passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California Monday morning, surrounded by family and friends. She was 73.
Olivia's husband, John Easterling, says she battled breast cancer for more than 30 years, a specific cause of death was not given. Olivia was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, but it went into remission and it came back in 2013. It went back into remission but surfaced again in 2017.
Olivia hit it big in 1971 with songs like If Not for You, and in 1973 Let Me Be There. She followed that up with a monster hit, Have You Never Been Mellow. Her huge break came in 1978, when she starred opposite John Travolta in "Grease." Her role as Sandy was iconic, as were several songs from the movie, You're the One that I Want, Summer Nights, and Hopelessly Devoted to You. The movie propelled Olivia to new heights, and she followed it up with movies like "Xanadu." In the film “Grease”, Olivia Newton-John starred as the good girl Sandy Olson, who falls for a bad boy played by John Travolta, who had also played the role on Broadway.
Olivia's biggest hit was Physical in 1981, which stayed at #1 for 10 weeks, breaking all records in the '80s. She remained an environmental and animal rights activist throughout her career.
Olivia, who was British but raised in Australia, married Matt Lattanzi back in 1984 ... they met while filming "Xanadu." They had a child, Chloe Rose in 1986. They divorced in 1995. She married John Easterling in 2008. He's the founder of Amazon Herb Co.
Her performance saw her nominated for multiple awards including two Golden Globes, and various other film accolades.
Travolta paid tribute to Newton-John in an Instagram post saying: "You made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. "We will see you down the road and we will all be together again."Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!"