Olivia Newton-John: The life and chart legacy of the Grease superstar as she dies aged 73
09.08.2022 - 13:21
/ officialcharts.com
Olivia Newton-John, the British-Australian pop star perhaps best known for her generation-defining role as Sandy in Grease, has died aged 73, it's been announced.
Newton-John's death was confirmed last night (August 8) by her husband, John Easterling, in a statement.
"Dame Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends," it read.
"We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time. Olivia has been 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."
Olivia was perhaps best known for her starring role as Sandy in Grease, alongside John Travolta (Credit: Paramount)
Born in Cambridge in 1948, Newton-John moved to Australia with her family and settled there as a child, before leaving Australia to embark on a pop career that would come to span not just continents, but entire generations.
In 1971, she scored two UK Top 10 singles, If Not For You (7) and Banks of the Ohio (6) and in 1974 was chosen as the representative for the UK in that year's Eurovision Song Contest with the song Long Live Love (11). Newton-John placed fourth that year, losing to a little-known band called ABBA and their song Waterloo...
But it was in 1978 that Newton-John was cast as Sandy in the movie-musical Grease opposite John Travolta, the role that would see her assume worldwide superstardom. (Funnily enough, Newton-John was 29 when she was asked to play Sandy, and originally refused. The character was also re-written from