August 8 – Singer Olivia Newton-John, who climbed to the top of the world’s pop charts in the 70s and 80s with songs such as “I Honestly Love You” and “Physical” and starred in the hit musical “Grease”, died on Monday, aged 73, at his home in Southern California.
The British-born and Australian-raised artist’s death was announced on her Instagram account, saying that she “passed away in peace” at her ranch home “surrounded by family and friends.”
Four-time Grammy Award winner Newton-John revealed in 2017 that a recurrence of breast cancer had metastasized and had spread to her lower back, forcing her to cancel the shows. Twenty-five years earlier, Newton-John had undergone a partial mastectomy, leading her to become an advocate for breast cancer research and other health problems, and to set up a cancer research center in Australia.
MOVIE STARDOM WITH ‘GREASE’
But criticism did not hurt the sale of Newton-John and cemented her recognition by playing with John Travolta in Grease, a 1978 film that became one of the most popular musicals in Hollywood history. This may interest you : Academy launches Jonas Gwangwa Music Initiative for Black British Composers.
In the 1950s movie, Newton-John’s lead character Sandy has a summer affair with Danny, Travolta’s “nipple”, but the relationship breaks up due to cultural differences. They finally make up as their roles turn, with Danny cleaning up his show, and Sandy appearing strikingly in a tight-fitting black leather outfit.
Travolta, 68, sent tribute to her partner on Instagram saying her “impact was amazing.”
Olivia Newton-John rides the 85th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade in Los Angeles, California, USA November 27, 2016 REUTERS / Phil McCarten / Files
“My dearest Olivia, thanks to you our whole life has become so much better,” wrote the actor. “I love you very much. We’ll see you on the way and we’ll be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! your Danny, your John! “
The producer of the film, Allan Carr, after impressing him at a party, sought Newton-John in the lead role, and Travolta also urged her to participate.
The singer was initially reluctant to her negative experiences in the awkwardly titled 1970 British film “Toomorrow” and was concerned that it would hurt her recording career. She was also worried about the American accent, so some were rewritten to make Sandy Australian.
The film, based on the 1972 musical of the same name, was a huge critical and commercial success, and its soundtrack generated a series of hits, including the title song “Hopeless Devoted to You” by Newton-John, “Summer Nights.” “And her lively duet with Travolta” You are the one I want “.
“I am grateful for Grease,” she told Detroit News in 2016. “The film and songs are still loved so much.”
Her next music film, “Xanadu” from 1980, failed, but gave Newton-John more hits on the title song and “Magic” which reached 1st place.
In 1981, Newton-John recorded her greatest hit “Physical”. The music video accompanying the song featured her in her workout clothes and headband, fueling the fashion trend. The sex-laden text (“nothing to talk about unless it’s horizontal, let’s be physically”) undermined her image of a good girl and prompted some radio stations to ban it.
Newton-John’s career weakened after “Physical” but in 2015 she had another # 1 hit on the dance charts – “You Have to Believe”, a revamped version of “Magic” performed with her only child, Chloe Lattanzi.
She made another movie with Travolta, “Two of a Kind” in 1983, and in 2012 they recorded an album of Christmas songs.
Newton-John, whose sister died of brain cancer, became an attorney after her first battle with breast cancer and founded Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Center in her hometown Melbourne. She also launched the so-called Olivia breast self-examination kit.
Newton-John, whose grandfather was German-born Nobel Prize winner physicist Max Born, finished fourth in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, representing Great Britain.
Her first marriage to “Xanadu” actor Matt Lattanzi ended in divorce in 1995, and in 2008 she married businessman John Easterling.
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Writing by Bill Trott; Additional reporting by Ismail Shakil; Editing by Diane Craft, Steve Gorman and Rosalba O’Brien Read also : A Milesburg documentary created by an art and architecture team is set to premiere.
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