Olivia Newton-John, best known for her role as Sandy Olson in the cult musical Grease, has died at the age of 73, her husband said in a statement published on social media on Monday.
The actress “passed away peacefully this morning at her Southern California ranch surrounded by family and friends.” She has battled breast cancer for 30 years.
With varnished hair and leather jackets, Olivia Newton-John rose to fame after playing the role of Sandy in Grease (1978) opposite John Travolta. The latter paid tribute to him vividly: “My dear Olivia, you have made our lives better. Her influence was incredible. I love you so much,” the actor posted on Instagram.
Olivia Newton-John also has around forty country and pop-rock albums to her credit – including “Physical,” a big hit in 1981 – and has performed hundreds of concerts around the world.
Ever since the cancer struck her in her 40s — breast cancer and mastectomy in 1992, then two recurrences with metastases in 2013 and 2017 — the star has dedicated all her energies and fame to fighting the disease. “Olivia has been a beacon of triumph and hope for 30 years by sharing her experience with breast cancer,” her husband wrote, noting that a fund had been set up in his name to fund research on plants: medicines and cancer , the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund.
singing star
Queen Elizabeth II, born in Cambridge on September 26, 1948, with the title “Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire”, is the granddaughter of the German physicist Max Born, whose work on quantum theory was crowned with the Nobel Prize. His father fought in the British armed forces during World War II and was involved in the arrest of Rudolf Hess.
The one we called “Livvy” was only five years old when her family moved to the Antipodes. Destination Melbourne, Australia. With her passion for music, she won a local singing competition at the age of 16. Her mother urges her to pursue her talent and they both go back to England. First singles, first successes. In 1974 she represented Great Britain in the Eurovision Song Contest and finished fourth but lost behind… Abba.
Then on to California, where she made a name for herself on the country and western scene. The Anglo-Australian has even been named “The Most Popular Singer in the United States” twice and wins a Grammy Award beating Queen Dolly Parton.
“You are the one who I want”
Crowned by his success in Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta blows his name for Grease. Released in 1978, the film was an instant hit worldwide. In France, it has 6 million visitors… more than Les Demoiselles de Rochefort or West Side Story! Everyone is humming “summer nights” and “you’re the one i want”.
And its finale becomes a myth, with the transformation of Sandy, the blond and wise schoolgirl, into a femme fatale who appears in the middle of the fairground, cigarette in mouth, black biker jacket, strapless top, tight lamé pants and dizzying heels… In she sways to a frenetic rhythm and electrifies Danny (John Travolta), the rebel with the smooth banana. The original outfit was auctioned in 2019 for … $405,700.
Despite this worldwide success, Olivia Newton-John did not continue her momentum in the cinema for long. She’s filming another musical romance, Xanadu, with Gene Kelly and a new movie with John Travolta, Two of a kind, but the magic doesn’t work as well. In addition to a few roles in film and television, she devoted herself mainly to singing and her Californian ranch, where she lived surrounded by animals.