GREASE Star and Music Icon Olivia Newton John Passes Away At 73

Olivia Newton-John, best known to theatre fans as the star of the iconic 1978 film adaptation of the musical, Grease, has passed away at the age of 73.

According to an obituary posted to the star's Facebook, Newton-John passed away at her Southern California home, surrounded by family and friends, after a 30-year battle with metastatic breast cancer.

In 1978, her co-starring role with John Travolta in "Grease" earned her a Golden Globe nomination as "Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical of Comedy." This film's best-selling soundtrack featured the duets "You're The One That I Want" and "Summer Nights," with Travolta, as well as her mega-hit, "Hopelessly Devoted To You." To date "Grease" remains the most successful movie musical in history.

Olivia's co-stars from the film have shared touching tributes, including her Grease co-star and friend, John Travolta, who wrote on Twitter, "My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!"

Actress Didi Conn, who portrayed Frenchie in the film wrote, "My gorgeous friend. Dame Olivia Newton-John has left us. Such a sad day. My thoughts go out to her family. I'm speechless ❤️ D x I love you x"

Dinah Manoff, who portrayed Pink Lady Marty Maraschino in the film said of the star, "As many will tell you, Olivia Newton-John was one of the kindest, most generous souls ever to grace the earth, and I was one lucky Pink Lady to have spent time with her during the filming of Grease. She brought light and laughter wherever she went. My deepest condolences to her family and friends during their time of great loss."

Olivia's additional feature film credits include "Funny Things Happen Down Under," "Toomorrow," "Xanadu," "Two Of A Kind," "It's My Party," "Sordid Lives," "Score: A Hockey Musical," and "A Few Best Men."

With more than 100 million albums sold, Olivia's accolades include four Grammy Awards, numerous Country Music, American Music and Peoples Choice Awards, ten #1 hits including "Physical," (which topped the charts for ten consecutive weeks making it the #1 single of the '80s), and over 15 top 10 singles.

In November 2015, Billboard Magazine listed "Physical" at #8 on their "Top 100 Songs Of All Time" list and in 2010 listed it as "The Sexiest Song of All Time." In addition, in 2015 Olivia was ranked #20 on Billboard's "Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists" and most recently was ranked #7 on Billboard's "Greatest Of All Time Hot 100 Women Artists."

In November 2020, she established the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, an independent charity sponsoring global research into plant medicine for cancer. These investments in new scientific research will educate patients and their caregivers about kinder options for treating cancer. The charity is committed to realizing a world beyond cancer. For more information visit ONJFoundationFund.org.

In February 2021, Olivia and her daughter Chloe Lattanzi released "Window in the Wall," which debuted at #1 on the iTunes Music Video Chart and the Amazon A/C Chart. Just a few months later Olivia scored another #1 hit on the Amazon A/C chart with "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," a duet with music legend Paul Anka.