Olivia Newton-John Dead at 73
Olivia Newton-John, the legendary singer and actress responsible for hits such as "Physical" and the classic musical Grease, has died. She was 73.
Newton-John's husband John Easterling confirmed the news with a post on the star's official Facebook page Monday (Aug. 8).
"Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends," the statement reads, requesting privacy and respect for Newton-John's family at this time.
"Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer," the statement continues. "Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer."
Read the full statement below:
TMZ confirmed the news Monday afternoon. An official cause of death has not yet been confirmed. However, a source who spoke to the outlet implied Newton-John passed away as a result of cancer.
The international icon was first diagnosed with the disease in 1992. She underwent a partial mastectomy at the time. Although she went into remission, she relapsed twice over the years — in 2013 and 2017, according to TMZ.
Her most recent relapse forced her to postpone several tour dates. Her Grease co-star John Travolta threw his support behind the icon at the time.
"I’d like to express my gratitude to all of you who sent such kind and loving messages of support over the past few months," she said the same year. "Your prayers and well wishes have truly helped me, and continued to lift my spirits."
On Monday, Travolta took to Instagram to react to the news of Newton-John's passing.
"My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better," he wrote alongside a photo of the star. "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!"
Newton-John is survived by daughter Chloe Lattanzi, 36; husband Easterling, 70; a brother and sister; and multiple nieces and nephews.
Lattanzi honored her mom in a post on Instagram just days before the icon's passing.
"I worship this woman. My mother. My best friend," she captioned a photo of her and her mother. She uploaded a gallery of additional photos after the news of Newton-John's death broke.
Newton-John's last post on Instagram was a throwback of her posing with a radiant smile. It was simply captioned with a red heart emoji and the #FlashbackFriday hashtag.
Newton-John collected four Grammys and 12 nominations over the years. One of her biggest hits as a solo artist, "Physical," as awarded the Grammy for Video of the Year in 1983.
She was renowned in the '90s for speaking publicly about her experience with cancer, according to People. Her successful career as a musician started more than two decades before her diagnosis.
As an actress, Newton-John is most easily recognized for her work as Sandy in 1978's Grease. The musical features timeless hits including "Summer Nights," "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "You're the One That I Want." She also starred in 1980's Xanadu and guest-starred on Glee.
The star's family has asked for donations to be made to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation.