Grease Star And Pop Singer Olivia Newton-John Dies At 73

Olivia Newton-John, who rose to international stardom as a singer and movie star has died at age 73. Newton-John became a household name several times over after playing Sandy in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Grease, and also amassing five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

Her husband, John Easterling, shared the news in a Facebook post, writing that she died "peacefully at her ranch in Southern California." No official cause of death was given, though Easterling shared that Newton-John "has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer." An unnamed source close to Newton-John told TMZ that "she lost her battle to metastatic breast cancer." Newton-John's breast cancer had resurfaced for a third time in 2017.

Reacting on Instagram to the news of her death, Grease co-star John Travolta said Newton-John had impacted him deeply. "My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much," Travolta wrote. "We will see you down the road and we will all be together again."

In addition to Grease Newton-John is best known for her most successful studio album, 1981's Physical. The title track from that album went on to become the biggest hit of her career, and also of the 1980s--spending 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

A Grease prequel series, titled Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, is currently in production for Paramount+ and reportedly began filming earlier this year.

Newton-John was born September 26, 1948 in Cambridge, England.