SINGER Olivia Newton-John, who soared to the top of the world's pop music charts in the 1970s and 1980s with such tunes as "I Honestly Love You" and "Physical" and starred in the hit movie musical "Grease," died on Monday at age 73 at her home in Southern California.
The death of the British-born, Australian-raised performer was announced on her Instagram account, saying she "passed away peacefully" at her ranch home "surrounded by family and friends."
Newton-John, a four-time Grammy winner, had disclosed in 2017 that a recurrence of breast cancer had metastasized and spread to her lower back, forcing her to cancel performances. Twenty-five years earlier Newton-John had undergone a partial mastectomy, leading her to become an advocate for breast cancer research and other health issues and to establish a cancer treatment-research facility in Australia.
The entertainer began performing as a child and became a global superstar after moving to the United States. She was blond, blue-eyed and brimming with wholesomeness when she had her first hit in 1971 with "If Not for You" - a Bob Dylan song that also had been recorded by George Harrison.
It would be followed in the next few years by "Let Me Be There," which won her a Grammy for best female country vocal performance, "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" and two No. 1 songs, "Have You Never Been Mellow" and "I Honestly Love You." The latter song won Grammys for best female pop performance and record of the year.
Newton-John also clinched the Country Music Association's female singer of the year title in 1974, edging out such homegrown American stars as Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. The unlikely success of an Australian performing country-flavored pop songs bothered many Nashville purists at the time.
Critics did not always care for Newton-John's work, often finding her style frothy and overly commercial. The New York Times once described her voice as "nearly colorless."
MOVIE STARDOM WITH 'GREASE'
But the criticism did not hurt Newton-John's sales, and she cemented her acclaim by co-starring with John Travolta in "Grease," the 1978 film that would become one of the most popular musicals in Hollywood history.
In the film, set in the 1950s, Newton-John's prim character, Sandy, has a summer fling with Danny, the "greaser" portrayed by Travolta, but the relationship falls apart over cultural differences. In the end they reconcile as their roles reverse, with Danny cleaning up his act, and Sandy making a striking appearance in a tight, black leather outfit.
Travolta, 68, addressed a tribute to his co-star on Instagram, saying her "impact was incredible."
The film's producer, Allan Carr, had sought Newton-John for the female lead after being impressed by her at a dinner party, and Travolta also urged her to take the part.
The singer was initially reluctant because of her negative experience in the awkwardly titled 1970 British film flop "Toomorrow" and worried about hurting her recording career. She also was concerned about doing an American accent, so the part was rewritten to make Sandy an Australian.
The film, based on the 1972 Broadway hit musical of the same name, was a major critical and commercial success, and its soundtrack generated a string of hits, including the title song, Newton-John's "Hopelessly Devoted to You," "Summer Nights," and her bouncy duet with Travolta, "You're the One That I Want."
"I'm grateful for 'Grease,'" she told the Detroit News in 2016. "The movie and the songs are still so loved."
Her next musical film, "Xanadu" in 1980, was a bust but did give Newton-John more hits in the title song and "Magic," which reached No. 1.
In 1981 Newton-John scored her biggest hit single, "Physical." The song's accompanying video featured her in work-out clothes and a headband, which fueled a fashion trend. Its sex-infused lyrics ("there's nothing left to talk about unless it's horizontally, let's get physical") eroded her good-girl image and led some radio stations to ban it.
Newton-John's career cooled off after "Physical" but in 2015 she had another No. 1 hit on the dance charts - "You Have to Believe," a revamped version of "Magic" performed with her only child, Chloe Lattanzi.
She would make another movie with Travolta, "Two of a Kind" in 1983, and they recorded an album of Christmas songs in 2012.
Newton-John, whose sister died of brain cancer, became an advocate after her first bout with breast cancer, and she founded the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in her hometown of Melbourne. She also marketed what was known as the Olivia Breast Self-Exam Kit.
Newton-John, whose grandfather was German-born, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Max Born, finished fourth in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the United Kingdom.
Her first marriage, to "Xanadu" actor Matt Lattanzi, ended in divorce in 1995, and in 2008 she married businessman John Easterling.
Reuters
Tue Aug 09 2022
Newton-John had undergone a partial mastectomy, leading her to become an advocate for breast cancer research and other health issues and to establish a cancer treatment-research facility in Australia. - REUTERS/Filepic
Chegubard didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen KL esok - Peguam
Badrul Hisham Shaharin atau dikenali Chegubard akan didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur esok atas pertuduhan memfitnah dan menghasut.
Pulau Pinang, kerajaan pusat bekerjasama tarik pelaburan semikonduktor
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang akan bekerjasama dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk meneruskan usaha menarik pelaburan dalam sektor semikonduktor, termasuk segmen reka bentuk litar bersepadu (IC) di negeri itu.
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara
Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai “duta” untuk mempromosikan produk perusahaan mikro kecil dan sederhana (PMKS) SERTA koperasi negara.
Mohamed Khaled tiba di Indonesia, dijadual bertemu Prabowo
Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin tiba di Jakarta hari ini untuk lawatan kerja rasmi sulung beliau ke Indonesia sejak memegang jawatan itu.
SPRM mohon maklumat dari Jerman
Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) memohon maklumat terkini daripada pihak berkuasa Jerman mengenai dana bon 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yang dipercayai digunakan untuk membeli kereta mewah di negara itu pada 26 Okt 2022.
SPRM siasat pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air
Seorang pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air disiasat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) kerana disyaki melantik beberapa syarikat yang mempunyai kepentingan dengannya membabitkan beberapa projek pembekalan melibatkan peruntukan kira-kira RM300,000.
Kembangkan kandungan tempatan melalui AI
Menurut Setiausaha Agung Organisasi Kerjasama Digital (DCO) Deemah Al Yahya, terdapat 2.7 peratus daripada penduduk dunia tidak berhubung malah tidak mempunyai sambungan asas internet. Beliau turut berkata infrastruktur pengkomputeran setiap negara perlu mempunyai kemampuan untuk mengembangkan kandungan tempatan khususnya yang melibatkan penggunaan AI.
AI tidak dapat ganti guru
Menteri Pendidikan Rwanda, Gaspard Twagirayezu berkata kepesatan teknologi AI dalam pendidikan tidak dapat menggantikan guru malah membantu guru dalam menyediakan bahan pengajaran yang bermanfaat kepada pelajar.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Ahad, 28 April 2024.
Mesyuarat Khas WEF: Dunia perlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi ke Orde Baharu - Menteri Luar Arab Saudi
Menteri Luar Negeri Arab Saudi, Putera Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud berkata dunia memerlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi daripada Orde Dunia Lama kepada Orde Baharu. Jelasnya, persaingan ini akan memberi manfaat dalam bentuk kos pengeluaran lebih rendah, perkembangan inovasi dan pelaburan lebih baik. #MesyuaratKhasWEF #WEF
Bintang Grease, Olivia Newton-John meninggal dunia akibat kanser
Olivia yang popular menerusi filem muzikal Grease itu dikatakan menghembuskan nafas terakhir akibat kanser.