Olivia Newton-John

Olivia Newton-John was born to Brinley "Bryn" Newton-John (1914–1992) and Irene Helene Born (1914–2003). She had siblings Hugh and Rona who were both older than Olivia. Her father was born in Wales and her mother was born in Germany. Olivia's family moved from England to Australia in 1954, when she was six years old because her father accepted a job as a professor of German and as the master of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne. She began singing as a teenager, forming a group with three classmates which was called Sol Four. It didn't last long but it led to her being a regular on local Australian television shows and also led to winning a trip to Great Britian. While in Great Britian, she recorded her first single "Till You Say You'll be Mine" in 1966. Her old singing partner travelled to Great Britian as well, and they formed a duo which they called "Pat and Olivia", singing in nightclubs. When Pat had to return to Australia, Olivia stayed in Great Britian and began her solo career. Olivia achieved her first real success in show business when she recorded her first album "If Not for You" in 1971. The title track was written by Bob Dylan and its success led to a second album, which wasn't as popular and wasn't released in the United States. However true fame was achieved when she starred as "Sandy' in the film version of "Grease" in 1978, Her co-star was John Travolta and many of the songs became hits. It was the biggest box hit of '78 and was re-released for the 20th anniversary in 1998 and is the 2nd highest grossing film behind "Titanic". Olivia was quoted as saying about the film: "I think the songs are timeless. They're fun and have great energy. The '50s-feel music has always been popular, and it's nostalgic for my generation, and then the young kids are rediscovering it every 10 years or so, it seems. People buying the album was a way for them to remember those feelings of watching the movie and feelings of that time period. I feel very grateful to be a part of this movie that's still loved so much." Olivia was married twice, although she had a long-term relationship, 6 years, with Lee Kramer who was her manager in the 1970s. She married Matt Lattanzi in December 1984, and they divorced in 1995 after having daughter Chloe Rose in 1986. They remained friends. She then married John Easterling, founder and president of the Amazon Herb Company on June 21, 2008, in "an Incan spiritual ceremony in Peru" followed by a legal ceremony on Jupiter Island, Florida. Although they had been living in Malibu California for four decades, she and husband John moved to Jupiter Inlet, Florida in 2009 and then to the Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara California. In 2017, Newton-John's previous bouts with breast cancer had returned and metastasized to her lower back. It was at first misdiagnosed as sciatica. She had first been diagnosed in 1992 and another, unannounced, recurrence was in 2013. The pain was excruciating at the end. Olivia died on August 8, from the metastasized recurrence at her Santa Ynez Valley home. A long tribute to Olivia appeared on CNN Entertainment's website quoting costars and other entertainers. She was loved by many. See the tribute at Olivia Newton-John Easterling: Obituary