Actress and singer Olivia Newton-John died Monday morning at her ranch in Southern California, according to her husband. She was 73.
Her husband, John Easterling, said in a statement that she was surrounded by her family and friends when she passed away.
“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” Easterling said. “Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”
Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer several times throughout her life. She was first diagnosed in 1992 and beat it. The cancer later came back in 2013, went into remission, and then came back a third time in 2017.
The family asked for people to respect their privacy as they mourn her passing. The family also asked that instead of sending flowers that people make donations in her memory to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund.
Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England in 1948 and later moved to Australia when she was five. She was in a band and appeared on local television stations while living in Australia.
Newton-John quickly became a hit after transitioning from being a country music singer to a pop singer which landed her multiple top-10 hits in the U.S., including, “Let Me Be There,” “I Honestly Love You,” “Have You Never Been Mellow,” “You’re the One That I Want,” “Magic” and “Physical.”
Newton-John was best known for her role as Sandy in the hit 1978 movie “Grease” with actor John Travolta. Her website states that the movie remains “the most successful movie musical in history.”
The two later starred together in the 1983 movie “Two of a Kind” in an attempt to recreate the success of “Grease,” but came up short. The New York Times noted though that the soundtrack from the movie was successful even though the film was not.
Newton-John is survived by her husband; daughter Chloe Lattanzi; sister Sarah Newton-John; brother Toby Newton-John; nieces and nephews Tottie, Fiona and Brett Goldsmith; Emerson, Charlie, Zac, Jeremy, Randall, and Pierz Newton-John; Jude Newton-Stock, Layla Lee; Kira and Tasha Edelstein; and Brin and Valerie Hall.
This report has been updated to include additional information.