Olivia Newton-John, the Grammy-winning superstar who reigned on pop, country, adult contemporary and dance charts with several hits died in Australia on Monday. She was 73.
Newton-John, a long-time resident of Australia whose sales topped 100 million albums, died Monday at her southern California ranch, John Easterling, her husband, wrote on Instagram and Facebook.
Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer, he wrote. We ask that everyone please respect the family's privacy during this very difficult time, he wrote. From 1973-83, Newton-John was among the world's most popular entertainers.
She had 14 top 10 singles just in the U.S., won four Grammys, starred with John Travolta in Grease and with Gene Kelly in Xanadu. The fast-stepping Travolta-Newton-John duet, You're the One That I Want,' was one of the era's biggest songs and has sold more than 15 million copies.
My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better, Travolta wrote in an online post. 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!
Physical, the bouncy, R-rated smash released in 1981, was no.1 for 10 weeks and was named Billboard's song of the year despite being banned by some radio stations. An aerobics-friendly promotional clip, filmed in the early years of MTV, won a Grammy for best video. Both musically and image-wise, she reinvented herself during those years.
Her marriage to actor Matt Lattanzi, with whom she had a daughter, actor-singer Chloe Lattanzi, broke up in 1995 and a years-long relationship with cameraman Patrick McDermott ended mysteriously.
Newton-John's recent albums included Stronger Than Before; a holiday collaboration with Travolta, This Christmas, and the autobiographical Gaia: One Woman's Journey, inspired by her battle with cancer and by the loss of her father.
Newton-John married John Easterling, founder of the Amazon Herb Company, in 2008.
She was involved in numerous charitable causes, serving as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme and as national spokeswoman for the Children's Health Environmental Coalition. She also founded the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, Australia.
Newton-John was the daughter of German literature professor Brin Newton-John and Irene Bron, whose father was Nobel Prize-winning physicist Max Bron.
The Newton-Johns moved to Australia when Olivia was 5, but she returned to England in her teens and lived with her mother after her parents broke up. She is survived by her husband, daughter Chloe Lattanzi, sister Sarah Newton-John, brother Toby Newton-John, and several nieces and nephews.
