The Story of Olivia Newton-John, the Actress Who Stole Every Boy’s Heart in the ’80s

No matter how many years have passed, sometimes we remember the stars by their first more significant TV appearance. The ’80s were the golden years, and the TV industry offered pretty good movies and shows that we still enjoy watching today. As one of the most beautiful actresses in the ’80s, Olivia Newton-John, with a career of nearly 6 decades, stole a lot of boy’s hearts back then.

Unfortunately, she is no longer with us, but 5-Minute Crafts wants to share the late Olivia Newton-John’s story and how she made everything in her power to bring positivity to the world.

Her early years

Olivia was born in Cambridge, England, on the 26th of September 1948, as the daughter of Brinley and Irene. She had two older siblings a brother named Hugh and a sister Rona. Her childhood was full of adventures, and she grew up imagining herself as a vet or a mounted police officer, but life had prepared a different destiny for her. Newton-John created a music group named Sol Four at the age of 14 together with three of her classmates.
The music journey continued as the years passed, and in 1965 Olivia won a talent contest on the TV program Sing, Sing, Sing. A year after, she recorded her first single “Till You Say You’ll Be Mine.” Olivia was chosen as a representative for the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 and finished fourth in the contest with the song named “Long Live Love.” Her music was commonly known worldwide, and her songs ran to the top, bringing her ten NB.1 singles.

Her acting career

After her previous movie Toomorrow failed, Olivia wasn’t sure about her next role, “I was very anxious about making another film because my music career was going well, and I did not want to mess it up by doing another movie that wasn’t good.”

At a dinner party, she met the producer Allan Carr who convinced her to accept the lead role of Sandy for the movie Grease. Carr had made a recast to the original character and made an Australian version of it, for whom Olivia was a perfect match. Even though she was given a role that was 12 younger than her age, she nailed it.

Olivia produced three songs for the movie’s soundtrack and they were wildly famous. She performed “Hopelessly Devoted to You” by herself, “You’re the One That I Want” with John Travolta, and “Summer Nights” together with the cast." The on-screen couple had a platonic love that lasted for years, and even though they didn’t have a relationship off the screen, their friendship was strong enough to carry a mountain.

They remained friends long after the movie. “I’ve been through her having a child, getting divorced, losing her sister. She’s been through my getting married, having children. It’s wonderful and full of shared memories.” said John in one of his interviews.

Newton-John love stories

Olivia opened a new chapter in her not-so-perfect life when she married the actor Matt Lattanzi in 1984. Two years after they tied the knot, the couple welcomed their first and only child Chloe Rose, who was born in January. Every love story can’t be a fairy tale. After a decade of being together, the couple filed for divorce in 1995.

Newton-John’s second chance to love was given to Patrick McDermott, just a year after her divorce. They dated on and off for about nine years, but sadly this romance was over when all of a sudden, in 2005, McDermott disappeared after going on a fishing trip off the Californian coast. The singer never really got over the disappearance of her boyfriend and said that there will always be a question mark about what happened.

The third time she decided to give her heart to someone turned out to be a relationship from heaven. In 2008, Olivia married John Easterling and the couple vowed to have a lifelong relationship. They were a true inspiration one to another and never gave up on the love they shared.

Diagnosed with cancer and forming the ONJ Cancer Centre

At the age of 44, in 1992, Olivia was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2008 she built Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Melbourne. " Yes, I’ve enjoyed making records and films, but the hospital gave me a purpose in life. My dream is to defeat cancer in my lifetime." To symbolize the path of cancer patients through their recovery journey, Newton-John led a three-week, 228 km long walk along the Great Wall of China. She was supported by a lot of cancer survivors and many celebrities.

Olivia Newton-John had won several battles with cancer but at the age of 73, she lost her last one.

Olivia’s family sadly announced the news that their beloved one had passed away at age 73, early in the morning of 8th August this year. She was and will be remembered as a good person who will always live in our memories. Newton-John’s friend and co-star John Travolta opened his heart and deeply paid tribute to his Sandy with the words, “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 first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”

The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre staff paid tribute to their founder, saying they will worship Olivia and remember her every day as they help other patients. “Her generous support and gift provided hope and changed the lives of thousands of cancer patients here at Austin Health. She was the light at the end of the tunnel for many, many people” the staff wrote, “Olivia’s dream was supporting people with cancer person through supportive wellness therapies. She found them so helpful to her journey that she wanted everyone to have access to them. The ONJ Centre was her dream, and we are proud of everything we achieved together. We will continue our work to honour her legacy.”

Have you watched Grease? Which scene of the movie will make you remember Olivia the most?