Olivia Newton-John, acclaimed singer and ‘Grease’ and ‘Xanadu’ star, dies at 73
LOS ANGELES — Olivia Newton-John, the beloved singer and actor known for her 1970s and ’80s hits and the movie “Grease,” died at her ranch in Southern California on Monday at age 73.
A cause of death hasn’t been announced, but she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and underwent years of treatment. The cancer returned in 2017.
“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” her husband, John Easterling, wrote Monday on the singer’s official Facebook page to announce her death. “Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”
Easterling said that she was surrounded by family and friends when she died.
Born in Britain in 1948, the youngest of three children, Newton-John moved to Australia when she was 5 and started singing at 12. She won a singing contest in 1964 that had a ticket to London as a prize. There, she cut her first single and became a fixture on the music scene. She made her first record, “If
