She amassed No. 1 hits, chart-topping albums and four records that sold more than two million copies each. Her consistently benign music and initial squeaky-clean image caused many to compare her to Doris Day. More than anything else, she was likable, even beloved. For years she was a prominent advocate for cancer research, starting a foundation in her name. She played Sandy in the musical “Grease” alongside John Travolta and had a massive hit in the 1980s with the song “Let’s Get Physical.” Today’s dead celebrity is Olivia Newton-John.

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 38 “A Lovely Lady” (Florence Henderson) and Episode 32 “Hot Stuff” (Donna Summer). 

Links:
Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Olivia Newton-John
“The wild Peruvian experience that changed Olivia Newton-John’s life”
“Mystery billionaire returns auctioned Grease Jacket”
“What made Olivia Newton-John 'horrified' about ‘Let’s Get 'Physical’” and music video
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Dead or Alive Quiz Game
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