Olivia Newton-John - Wikipedia
Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, whose breathtaking voice and wholesome beauty made her one of the biggest pop stars of the 1970s and whose hit movie "Grease" captivated generations of viewers, died Monday at age 73, her husband said in a statement.
Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully this morning at her ranch in Southern California, surrounded by family and friends, We ask that everyone respect the family's privacy during this very difficult time," her husband John Easterling wrote in a statement on the singer's verified Instagram account" Olivia has shared her journey with breast cancer for over 30 years and has been a symbol of triumph and hope"
The singer revealed in September 2018 that she was undergoing treatment for cancer at the base of her spine; it was her third cancer diagnosis, following her battles with breast cancer in the early 90s and in 2017.
Her Rise to Fame
Thanks to a series of country and soft rock hits, Newton John was already a popular singer by the late 1970s. But it was her performance with John Travolta in 1978's Grease, the most popular movie musical of all time, that catapulted her to a new level of stardom.
Although she had little acting experience (she turned 29 during filming), she gave an unforgettable performance as Sandy, a sweet-natured Australian transfer student in a 1950s Southern California high school who falls in love with Travolta's leading man, Danny.
She shed her frilly dress and transformed into heels, leather, spandex, and cigarettes.
Newton-John told CNN in 2017, "I don't think anyone could have imagined that this movie would last almost 40 years and still be popular and that people would always talk to me about it and love it" It's one of those movies, I'm very lucky to have been a part of it, It brought so much joy to so many people"
Newton-John sang on three of the film's biggest hits, the duets "You're The One That I Want" and "Summer Nights" with Travolta, and her swooning solo ballad "Hopelessly Devoted To You"
Born in Cambridge, England, in 1948, Newton-John moved with her family to Melbourne, Australia, when she was five years old, After winning a talent contest on the TV show "Sing, Sing, Sing," she formed an all-female group in her teens and began appearing weekly on Australian pop music programs.
Success as a singer
In 1981, she turned her sexy image around with the song "Physical," a dance number with the meaningful lyric, "If it's not horizontal, there's nothing left to talk about.
The song was banned on several radio stations, but became her biggest hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 consecutive weeks.
