The actress “passed away peacefully this morning at her Southern California ranch surrounded by her family and friends,” her family statement said. She has been battling breast cancer for 30 years.
Actress Olivia Newton-John, star of the film Grease, has died at the age of 73, her husband announced on Monday, August 8, in a press release published on social networks.
The actress “passed away peacefully this morning at her Southern California ranch surrounded by family and friends,” the statement said. She has been battling breast cancer for 30 years.
“Every day is a blessing”
The actress, who has stage four cancer with a very low chance of survival, had asked her doctor not to tell her how long she had to live. “Every day is a blessing, especially now,” the actress told Australian show 60 Minutes in 2019. “I think the mind plays a big part in the healing process,” she added. When you’re diagnosed with cancer or a terrible disease, you’re suddenly given a deadline, she added. If you believe in numbers, you will make them come true. When someone says to you, ‘You have six months to live,’ it’s entirely possible – because you believe it.”
Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. After a mastectomy, chemotherapy and mammoplasty, she relapsed in 2013. Four years later, she announced that she was suffering from a cancerous tumor in her sacrum.
The actress then explained that she should treat her condition with a mix of conventional and alternative medicine, specifically using cannabis grown by her husband, John Easterlin. In particular, his testimony had helped lift the taboo on medical marijuana, a key component of his treatment, which helped him get to sleep, manage his anxiety, and ease his pain.
A few months later, Grease headliners Olivia Newton-Jones and John Travolta reunited, in the costumes of Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson. For the first time since the musical’s release over forty years ago, they walked hand-in-hand through the streets of West Palm Beach, Florida, where they enjoyed a screening of the film followed by a meeting with fans.
For the occasion, Olivia Newton-John launched her yellow cardigan and matching long pleated skirt. “It’s the first time we’ve worn our costumes since filming the film! I’m so happy!” the actress exclaimed on her Instagram account.