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Pop superstar and Grease actor Dame Olivia Newton-John has died aged 73

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Laura NewellThe West Australian
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VideoOlivia Newton John dies aged 73.

Australian music legend Dame Olivia Newton-John has died at the age of 73 after a long battle with cancer.

Her husband announced the news in a social media post, writing that the Grease star had passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California on Tuesday morning, surrounded by family and friends.

John Easterling, himself a film producer, praised Newton-John as a “symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer”.

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As news of her death became public, one of the first celebrities to pay tribute to her was her Grease co-star John Travolta.

“My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better,” he wrote on Instagram.

“Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again.

“Yours from the moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”

Star Trek great George Takei took to Twitter to say that Newton-John was “gone too soon”.

Kristen Chenoweth also paid tribute.

Born in Cambridge in the UK, Newton-John moved to Australia with her family when she was five years old.

Australia has claimed her as their own ever since.

Her first acting credit was for the “family musical” Funny Things Happen Down Under in 1965, in which she played one of a group of children in an Australian country town trying to raise money to save their clubhouse.

But Newton-John’s most famous role, without doubt, was cult teen classic Grease, released in 1978.

A musical that would spawn generations of fans, with Newton-John played the sweet but tenacious Sandy Olsen opposite Travolta’s Danny Zuko.

Boasting hits such as Summer Loving and Hopelessly Devoted To You, the movie’s soundtrack would become iconic.

Olivia Newton-John's Sandy Olsson transforms for her love interest, Danny Zuko.
Camera IconOlivia Newton-John in Grease with John Travolta. Credit: Supplied/RegionalHUB

Much-hyped movies Xanadu and Two Of A Kind followed Grease but Newton-John arguably became better known and more loved for her music, with breakout hits including the perhaps-schmaltzy but oft-repeated I Honestly Love You.

In recent years, she enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence of popularity among young pop fans, particularly via her No. 1 hit Physical.

Originally released in 1981, it was used on musical serial Glee landing it at 89 on the Billboard chart once again, as well as being covered and interpolated by several other artists.

First diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, the Grease legend campaigned extensively to raise awareness of the illness.

On her foundation’s website, she wrote of the shock of her diagnosis.

“The diagnosis came the same weekend my father died of cancer,” she wrote.

“The whole experience has given me much understanding and compassion, so much so that I wanted to help others going through the same journey.”

She would go on to battle the disease twice more, her last diagnosis made public just ahead of her 70th birthday.

Just 10 months ago Newton-John opened up on her continuing battle with Today US host Hoda Kotb, saying she had “good days and bad days”.

She was a vocal proponent of medicinal cannabis.

In 2019, she told 60 Minutes that it helped her with pain management, sleep and anxiety.

Newton-John is survived by her husband, daughter Chloe Lattanzi; sister Sarah Newton-John; brother Toby Newton-John; nieces and nephews Tottie, Fiona and Brett Goldsmith; Emerson, Charlie, Zac, Jeremy, Randall and Pierz Newton-John; Jude Newton-Stock, Layla Lee; Kira and Tasha Edelstein; and Brin and Valerie Hall.

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