Best known for her role in the era-defining musical Grease, Olivia Newton-John inspired a generation alongside John Travolta (Danny Zuko) as his big-haired blonde flame, Sandy Olsson. Yesterday evening, we were met with the tragic news that the 73-year-old singer and actress had died after a battle with breast cancer.
One of the first among her collaborators to come forward with a tribute was Travolta: “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better,” he wrote in a Tweet. “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!”
The pair starred in the 1978 musical, directed by Randal Kleiser, which became an iconic milestone in film, taking a then-astounding $366 million at the worldwide box office. The single ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’, sung by Newton-John, was nominated at the Oscars for Best Original Song and the Grease soundtrack was the second best-selling album of 1978 in America, trailing only the soundtrack of Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever.
The late British-Australian was most famed for her role in Grease but had already carved out a highly successful solo career in the early 1970s, beginning with her debut solo album, If Not For You. The album’s title track was a cover of a number written by Bob Dylan and made popular by George Harrison’s cover, which appeared on his 1970 album, All Things Must Pass.
Growing from strength to strength, Newton-John’s follow-up single, ‘Banks Of Ohio’ demanded global attention reaching the top ten on British and Australian singles charts. In 1974, Newton-John was nominated to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with her song ‘Long Live Love’.
The track, which Newton-John later revealed her reservations about, was chosen for her by the British public out of six possible entries. After a valiant effort, Newton-John finished fourth at the Brighton-hosted concert while the immensely popular Swedish entry, ‘Waterloo’ by ABBA, took the top spot.
After her Eurovision appearance, Newton-John remained close with the Sweedish hit-makers. Following her rise to unprecedented levels of fame in the late 1970s with Grease, the singer had the rare opportunity to hit the stage beside ABBA and Andy Gibb of the Bee Gees during an ABC-TV special Olivia! in 1978.
Recapture the emphatic occasion below.
