The entertainment world has been shaken by an ongoing pattern of deaths. The list is expansive and full of legends, including Dodgers Hall of Famer Vin Scully, 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell, Star Trek veteran Nichelle Nichols, Goodfellas actors Paul Sorvino, Ray Liotta, and Tony Sirico, and The Godfather actor James Caan, just to name a few. May they all rest in peace.
Now, Grease fans all over the world are mourning the loss of legendary actress and singer, Olivia Newton-John. Her death was confirmed on Monday, Aug. 8. She was 73.
Her husband, John Easterling, released a statement implying that the actress died as a result of her ongoing battle with cancer, which she initially was diagnosed with in 1992, with reoccurrences in 2013 and 2017.
“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” Easterling wrote in a statement on Instagram. “Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made in her memory to the @onjfoundation.”
Newton-John first entered the realms of Hollywood as a singer hailing from Australia in the 1970s. Her big breakthrough in film came in 1978 with the cultural phenomenon Grease, where she starred in the musical alongside John Travolta and Stockard Channing. The soundtrack for the film set records, going 14-times platinum and selling over 14 million albums in the U.S. alone.
While most of her career focused on her music, she would star in Robert Greenwald’s Xanadu, reunite with Travolta in Two of a Kind, and do a host of television movies and series. In her career spanning five decades, she has released 26 studio albums, including platinum certified entries Let Me Be There (1973), Have You Never Been Mellow (1975), Clearly Love (1975), Come On Over (1976), Physical (1981), and many more.
Newton-John is survived by her husband and daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi.
