Olivia Newton-John
In this article, Kaylee writes about the late actress Olivia Newton-John's legacy as a tribute to her life.
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Olivia Newton-John's Legacy
Olivia Newton-John's Legacy
By Kaylee Brazzle
By Kaylee Brazzle
Olivia Newton-John was a four-time grammy award winner, as well as an Australian actress and singer. She started her career by singing in a band that was an all-girl group when she was 14 years old called Sol Four, and then she went on to sing at her brother-in-law’s coffee bar. Olivia’s father, Brinley Newton-John, was a German professor, as well as head of the Department of The Arts at Youthful Newcastle University. Her mother, Irene Born, was a photographer and a writer. Olivia was a triple threat, being an actress, a singer, and a philanthropist.
Taken In January, 1971 Posing for a Vogue Magazine
Olivia was born in Cambridge, UK in 1948. She grew up in the UK and moved to the U.S. when she was about 21 years old. As told in a blog by Helen dedicated to Olivia Newton John, “America beckoned and Olivia left England in 1975 to a rapturous welcome for her next album "Have You Never Been Mellow". The title song charted at #1 and her next single from the album, Please Mr. Please, reached #3.”
Taken in February, 1992 By Vogue with her Grease Co-Star John Travolta for the Anniversary Celebration for the Film
Olivia's career was at its highest point when director Allan Carr introduced Olivia to a screen test for the Grease (1978) movie/musical we all know and love today. She was not too sure about taking the screen test and becoming a movie actress but her brother-in-law told her that she was ready, also told on Helen’s blog about Newton-John. Olivia’s next movie Xanadu (1980) did not take to the theaters but the soundtrack became a huge success, getting to the top of the U.S music charts. In 1981, Olivia released an album called Physical, which was #1 on the top U.S music charts.
Matt Lattanzi, Olivia’s husband, was a dancer on Xanadu, where they met. In early 1986, their daughter Chloe was born and Olivia stopped her music career for a while to be fully in motherhood. As said by reporter Jim Farber of The New York Times, “To the end Olivia believed in her audience-friendly approach to music. It annoys me when people think because it’s commercial, it’s bad, it’s completely opposite. If people like it, that’s how it’s supposed to be.” On July 2, 1992, Olivia was first diagnosed with breast cancer. However, in early Feb. of the following year, she was completely clean from cancer.
In early 2022, Olivia’s breast cancer came back and she tried so hard to fight it but, on August 8, 2022, the cancer won and she died peacefully on her California ranch. On Karen’s blog, she says that Newton-John’s husband, Matt Lattanzi, had parting words to say to his wife after her funeral: “Olivia, Our love for each other transcends our understanding. Every day we expressed our gratitude for this love that could be so deep, so real, so natural. We never had to ‘work’ on it. We were in awe of this great mystery and accepted the experience of our love as past, present and forever.”
Taken In Apr. 2003 by Vogue Performing at Melbourne Park
Olivia Newton-John will forever be inspirational. She is one of Australia's only stars to ever make a successful international career, as well as being an advocate for breast cancer. She built her life being surrounded by raising cancer awareness. Her carefree outlook on life had a big part in helping her to become an accomplished actress, singer, and philanthropist.
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