John Travolta, Randal Kleiser, George Takei and More Pay Tribute to Olivia Newton-John: “We Are Forever Hopelessly Devoted to You”

Lexy Perez
·7 min read
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Hollywood is mourning the loss of Olivia Newton-John, who died Monday morning at her ranch in Southern California, her husband, John Easterling, announced on Facebook.

Born on Sept. 26, 1948, in Cambridge, England, the iconic singer and actress had success on both screen and stage. Newton-John sold more than 100 million albums and had nearly 40 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 during her five decades in music. Her popularity rose even more for her portrayal of Sandy Olsson opposite John Travolta as Danny Zuko in Grease (1978).

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After its release, Grease grossed $395 million ($1.53 billion in today’s dollars), becoming the highest-grossing American movie musical of the 20th century. Newton-John’s songs from the film including “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and two duets with Travolta, “You’re the One That I Want” and “Summer Nights,” became instant classics.

Newton-John was vocal about living with breast cancer, having first been diagnosed in 1992. To support those affected by breast cancer, she helped launch the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne and raise hundreds of millions of dollars in the fight against the disease.

“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” Newton-John’s husband wrote in a statement on Facebook. “Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”

Following the news of her passing, many took to social media to pay tribute to Newton-John, among them her Grease co-star Travolta, who wrote, “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. 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 first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”

Grease director Randal Kleiser said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, “I’m heartbroken. She was one of a kind, and so very kind. For over four decades of our friendship, she exuded nothing but love to everyone she met. Olivia was exactly the way you imagined her. I will miss her forever.”

Another of Newton-John’s Grease co-star, Stockard Channing, offered, “I don’t know if I’ve known a lovelier human being. 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.”

Below are more tributes.

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