Most people know Olivia Newton-John as good-two-shoes exchange student Sandy Olsson from the 1978 hit musical Grease. Newton-John was also a wife and mother, and while the whole world grieves her death, her family is hurting even more.
Newton-John recently passed away on August 8, 2022 after a 30-year battle with metastatic breast cancer at the age of 73. According to a statement from her husband, John Easterling, she “passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California, surrounded by family and friends.”
“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” he stated, adding that “in lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made in her memory to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund @onjfoundation.”
No one is grieving more than Newton-John’s only child, her 36-year-old daughter, Chloe Lattanzi. She shared a beautiful video tribute featuring the two of them standing side-by-side singing “Window In the Wall.” The video is a clip from their music video for the 2021 duet.
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The video is touching, but the caption Lattanzi added truly makes it: “You are my lighthouse mama. My safe place. My heart space. It has been my honor and continues to be my honor to be your baby and best friend. You are an angel on earth and everyone touched by you has been blessed. I love you forever my life giver, my teacher, my mama.
She followed up the post with a collection of beautiful photos of the two of them together, ranging from when she was a baby to more current photos. They photos really show just how close of a bond this mother and daughter duo shared.
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John Travolta, who played Danny Zuko and Sandy’s love interest in Grease, was one of the first to pay tribute to Newton-John. “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible,” he wrote. “I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”
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Many of her other costars from the film also honored her via social media.
“I don’t know if I’ve known a lovelier human being,” Stockard Channing, who played Rizzo (and Sandy’s enemy) in the movie. “Olivia was the essence of summer – her sunniness, her warmth and her grace are what always come to mind when I think of her. I will miss her enormously.”