Last night was a total SHOCKER. You know when we grow up we all have our favorite “People” ya know? Favorite movie stars, singers, actors, painters, entertainers all that good stuff. Of course, we probably will never meet these people in real life only on the big screen. (Most times some are more fortunate than others.)
The longer we favor these people the closer we tend to feel to them even though they probably don’t know we exist. (Okay duh they know they have fans and supporters.) Sadly enough when one of those icons passes away we feel it just as hard as their immediate family and friends.
So last night I was VERY productive and happened to be on my computer. Doing a bit of research I took a glance at my email and saw that one of my ALL-time FAVORITE movie star actresses had simply passed away. I looked at the email. I read the title caption. I stared at it for a few moments. Said, “Nope this is a hoax.” Scrolled up and away from the entire email. Stopped midway through the thread and doubled back to it. Opened the email and began to read.
“Olivia Newton-John dead at 73.” That was it. Exactly how it sounded. TRAGIC. I can’t even believe this is going to be one of my posts on my website but I had to say something.
You know when you really love people and you wish you could tell them you love them. Or cry a few times with them. Or teleport through time and create your own post about yourself claiming an event that you are presently in. Yes, this is giving me ‘Sandra Dee Vibes.” Speaking of Sandra Dee these words on this page are flowing like GREASE LIGHTENING! (Just a bit of humor to lighten the mood here.)
About Oliva Newton-John:
Olivia Newton-John was born on September 26th, 1948 in Cambridge, United Kingdom. She is the youngest of three children, following her brother Hugh, who is a doctor, and sister Rona who is an actress.
She released her first solo album, If Not for You in 1971. In 1972, her second UK album, Olivia, was released but never formally issued in the United States. Her career struggled after the release. Her fortune changed with the release of “Let Me Be There” in 1973.
The song reached the American top 10 on the Pop charts and earned her a Grammy for Best Country Female. She also won an Academy of Country Music award for Most Promising Female Vocalist.
In 1974, she represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Long Live Love”. The album was released in the US and Canada as If You Love Me, Let Me Know.
Her album Don’t Stop Believin’ was released in 1976. She headlined her first US television special, A Special Olivia Newton-John, in November of that same year.
Grease The Musical:
Her career soared after she starred in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Grease. She was offered the lead role of Sandy. Grease became the biggest box-office hit of 1978. The soundtrack album spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 and yielded three Top 5 singles.
The platinum songs from the movie “You’re the One That I Want” with John Travolta, the gold “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and the gold “Summer Nights” with John Travolta and the film’s cast. “Summer Nights” was from the original play written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, but the former two songs were written and composed by her long-time music producer, John Farrar, specifically for the film.
She sold over 100 million records worldwide, starred in one of the greatest musical films of all time, and was a general national treasure to the UK and Australia.
Health & Recovery:
Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and received her diagnosis the same weekend her father sadly passed away. She recovered and became an advocate for breast cancer research and other health issues. Proceeds from several of her albums have benefited breast cancer research.
In May 2017, it had been announced that her breast cancer had returned and metastasized to her lower back. In March 2018, she gave an update on her condition, saying she felt “really good”.
The Final Farewell:
In 2021, she gave another positive update, saying she felt “really wonderful”. On August 8, 2022, Olivia sadly passed away from cancer.
