Grease actor and Grammy-winning singer Olivia Newton-John died on Monday morning, according to a statement posted to her official Facebook account.
She was 73 years old.The statement said Newton-John “passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California” on Monday morning, “surrounded by family and friends.”“We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time,” read the statement.The singer and actor was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and underwent chemotherapy and a partial mastectomy.
In 2013, cancer was found in her shoulder.In September 2018, Newton-John revealed that her cancer had returned the previous year and had spread to her lower back.The statement announcing her death highlighted her advocacy work for cancer research, and asked fans to make donations to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer, in lieu of flowers.One of the best-selling artists of the 1970s and 1980s, Newton-John had a string of No.
1 singles, including “You’re the One That I Want,” the catchy duet she sang with John Travolta in the 1978 musical sensation Grease.Her starring role in that film catapulted the Australian native into superstardom, as did her appearance with Gene Kelly in 1980’s Xanadu, with her performance of the title track also topping the charts.Her 1981 smash hit “Physical” further cemented her superstardom, spending 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, while its risque lyrics and fitness-themed music video reinvented her image for the rest of the 1980s.“I recorded it and then suddenly thought, `Goodness, maybe I’ve gone too far!”’ she told Entertainment Weekly in 2017, recalling how the song had been suggested by.