Olivia Newton-John, best known for her role as Sandy in the smash-hit musical Grease, has died at the age of 73, according to her family.
According to her manager, the actress died of cancer.
Her husband, John Easterling, said she died “peacefully” on Monday morning at her ranch in California.
Newton-John, an actress and musician, achieved commercial success as a country singer, selling millions of records worldwide.
Her role as Sandy, a high school student, in the film adaptation of Grease, however, catapulted her to worldwide fame.
It was one of the most successful film musicals of all time, telling the story of Sandy’s summer romance with John Travolta’s Danny and the difficulties the relationship faces. Finally, the couple reconciles, with Sandy appearing in a tight, black leather outfit.
The film was the biggest box-office success of 1978, and it gave Newton-John three massive hit singles, including You’re The One That I Want and Summer Nights, both of which she performed with co-star John Travolta.
It was also a catalyst for change in her image and musical direction, as she shed her innocent, country-pop image.
Travolta wrote on Instagram that she “made all of our lives so much better”.
“Your impact was incredible. I love you so much,” he wrote.
“We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever!”
Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin, who co-starred alongside Newton-John in the 1996 film It’s My Party, called her “the sweetest and brightest light” in a Twitter tribute.
And Dionne Warwick, who recorded a duet with Newton-John in 2006, wrote on Twitter that “another angelic voice has been added to the Heavenly Choir”.
On September 26, 1948, Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England.
During WWII, her father worked as a British spy. Her mother was the daughter of Max Born, a German Nobel laureate, and had fled with her family when the Nazis took power in 1933.
In 1954, her family relocated to Australia, where she was raised.
Her breakthrough came in 1971, when she released If Not For You, a Bob Dylan-penned song that reached number seven in the UK charts and was included on an album of the same name.
Between 1974 and 1977, she won four Grammys and had seven US number one hits.
While critics never warmed to her audience-friendly musical style, the star flatly dismissed the criticism.
“It annoys me when people think because it’s commercial, it’s bad,” she told Rolling Stone. “It’s completely opposite. If people like it, that’s what it’s supposed to be.”
‘SYMBOL OF TRIUMPHS AND HOPE’
Newton-John became a leading advocate for cancer research after being diagnosed with breast cancer in the early 1990s, and her charity, the Olivia Newton John Foundation, has raised millions of pounds to support research.
The hospital that runs the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Melbourne, which opened after the star’s campaigning, said in a statement that she “encouraged, inspired, and supported” staff and patients on a daily basis.
“We are incredibly grateful for the special relationship we had with Olivia for many years. Her generous support and gift provided hope and changed the lives of thousands of cancer patients… She was the light at the end of the tunnel for many, many people.”
Queen Elizabeth rewarded her efforts in the field with a damehood in the 2020 New Year’s Honours list.
She was interviewed by CBS News in 2019 after being diagnosed with breast cancer for the third time.
“It was consuming my day and after a time I went ‘you know what’, I need to enjoy my life so I’m going to eat a cookie if I want it,” she said.
“Because the joy of life and everyday living has to be a part of that healing process as well. So I’ve chosen that path to be grateful and to feel good about things because the other side’s not so good.”
In a statement posted to her social media channels, Newton-John’s husband hailed her as “a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer”.
“Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”
