Olivia Newton-John has faced more than her fair share of tragedy already
INSIDE Olivia Newton-John’s tumultuous life of heartbreak, mystery and brushes with death as she faces yet another cancer battle.
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OLIVIA Newton-John has shocked the world with the tragic news her cancer is back for a second time.
After battling heartbreak, her own health issues and losing sister to cancer, the Grease star is well overdue for a lucky break.
The back pain that had initially caused her to postpone the first half of her concert tour was in fact cancer that has metastasised to her sacrum, the star’s team announced in a Facebook post today.
RELATED: Olivia Newton-John’s cancer is back
The superstar singer has dealt with more than her fair share of tragedy in life, which is why it’s easy to believe her when she promises she’ll be back this year “better than ever”.
These are some of the biggest challenges she has faced in her incredible journey so far.
MELDRUM: ‘Olivia is brave and strong’
HEALTH TROUBLES
The 68-year-old singer received her first cancer diagnosis in 1992 on the same weekend her father died. Newton-John, who was 43, had been primed for a comeback at the time after compiling her third hits collection, Back to Basics — The Essential Collection 1971—1992, and planning her first tour since her Physical trek ten years earlier.
“I draw strength from the millions of women who have faced this challenge successfully,” she said in her initial statement.
“This has been detected early because I’ve had regular examinations, so I encourage other women to do the same.”
Within 24 hours of the announcement, Newton-John left her Malibu home with husband Matt Lattanzi and daughter Chloe, who was six at the time, for a partial mastectomy at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The star told People she pulled through the ordeal by doing “massage and meditation and yoga” to help “keep my spirit positive”.
She had defeated the insidious disease, but her cancer journey did not end there. Newton-John’s victory heralded the opening of a new chapter in her life.
FROM PATIENT TO ADVOCATE
The entertainer went from being a patient to a dedicated advocate for cancer research, raising enough funds to build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne.
As part of her fundraising, she led a three-week 228km walk along the Great Wall of China where she was joined by various other celebrities and cancer survivors.
Newton-John said her cancer experience had given her “much understanding and compassion.
“With more and more people affected by cancer every day, I believe we are in a world desperate for healing, and I’m committed to doing whatever I can to help,” she wrote on the centre’s website.
Members from the board of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre today said they were sending her positive thoughts for a speedy recovery.
Professor Jonathan Cebon, the medical director of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and of Cancer Services at Austin Health, said he was saddened to hear Olivia’s cancer had returned.
“Late relapses from breast cancer can occur, especially for women with ‘hormone receptor-positive’ breast cancer,” Professor Cebon said.
“These relapses can occur sometimes even decades after initial treatment for early breast cancer.
RELATIONSHIP WITH CHLOE
While dealing with her own health issues, the Xanadu singer has also been a rock for her troubled daughter Chloe Lattanzi.
The 31-year-old singer and actress has struggled with an eating disorder from the age of 15, using drugs and alcohol to self-medicate.
Last year, fears emerged that Lattanzi had taken her obsession with her self-image too far, with some reports suggesting she even had a rib removed to become more like a Barbie doll.
RELATED: Chloe’s suspected $400,000 plastic surgery obsession
New Ideahighlighted Chloe’s harrowing changes to her appearance over the years, with one source allegedly telling the publication she’s got a case of “body dysmorphia” and has already spent a whopping $400,000 on plastic surgery.
Despite Lattanzi’s health battles, Newton-John told People last October that she had a “great relationship” with her daughter.
“She’s doing a lot of things that she loves to do,” she told People.
“She’s an adult so I don’t even like to bring up all the old stuff because she’s moving through it. She’s strong.”
Lattanzi took to Instagram on May 9 after her superstar mum initially postponed tour dates due to back pain, asking fans for “healing prayers”.
“I love u mama. Miss U so much. Will all of u send healing prayers for my mamas back please [sic].”
She added: “I believe in the power of positive thinking and energy. Love u all [sic].”
LOSING HER SISTER
Rona Newton-John, Olivia’s sister, lost her fight to brain cancer on May 24, 2013 — the same day as their mother’s birthday.
Newton-John posted a tribute to her sister over Facebook, saying she “mercifully suffered no pain”.
“She was surrounded by the love of her four children — Fiona, Brett, Tottie and Emerson and, her wonderful friends,” she wrote.
“I will miss her forever — my beautiful, smart, talented, funny, brave sister Rona.’
The singer opened up about her loss to People at the time, describing it as “jarring” despite being prepared for Rona’s death.
“No one is ever prepared for when the person actually dies,” she told People.
“Your sister is someone you can share things about the family that no one else understands. I don’t really have that now, so that was really hard to get used to. I would pick up the phone with something to tell her about my brother or relatives or someone that we’d known forever, so that was really odd to let go of that.”
Rona, who was also an actress, was married to Olivia’s Grease co-star Jeff Conaway from 1980 to 1985.
Newton-John started a brain tumour fund in Rona’s name after her death and continued to put her energy into her wellness centre in Melbourne.
KOALA BLUE
In 1983, Newton-John and her bestfriend Pat Carroll opened their first Koala Blue store on LA’s trendy Melrose Avenue.
Initially an importer of Aussie products, it expanded to include a clothing range and at its peak the company owned a dozen stores in the US with a further 50 licensees trading under the name in five countries.
But at the start of the 1990s, the empire crumbled. Koala Blue filed for bankruptcy in 1991.
“We expanded too fast,” Newton-John said at the time, “and when the recession hit, we really got hurt.”
The bankruptcy filing was followed by lawsuits and allegations of infighting and shoddy merchandise.
Years later, she declared: “It was depressing at the time, but you can’t dwell on the past. I learned a lot of things. Like, don’t do it again.”
The brand has since been revived as a name to be licensed for products such as Aussie wines and confectionary.
RELATIONSHIPS
Newton-John has a history of being unlucky in love.
Her first marriage to actor Matt Lattanzi, who she met on the set of Xanadu, ended after 11 years. They married in 1984 and welcomed daughter Chloe in 1986, but divorced in 1995 after rumours emerged that Lattanzi had an affair.
She was crushed when on-again, off-again boyfriend Patrick McDermott mysteriously disappeared during a fishing trip in San Pedro, California on June 30 in 2015.
He was last seen aboard the fishing boat, Freedom, however not one of the 22 passengers saw him go overboard. His wallet and personal effects were found on board, but there was no body.
Unproven theories have emerged suggesting he has been hiding out on a rural beach on Mexico’s coast. He was officially declared dead in 2008.
Newton-John eventually married businessman husband, John Easterling, the founder of a natural remedy firm, in 2008.
ENTERTAINMENT CAREER
Newton-John’s incredibly successful entertainment career is now on hold after her latest cancer diagnosis.
The four-time Grammy-winning entertainer has sold more than 100 million records and also starred in hit films Grease and Xanadu.
Her battle against cancer also had a profound impact on the music she wrote.
In 1994, she released Gaia: One Woman’s Journey, which chronicled her ordeal. It was also the first album in which the singer had written all of the songs, spurring her to become more active as a songwriter afterwards.
She has also released multiple albums where sales benefited breast cancer research, including 2005’s Stronger Before, 2006’s Grace and Gratitude and 2012’s This Christmas album with John Travolta.
Newton-John has kept up a hectic concert schedule in recent years, including high-paying residencies in Las Vegas.
Originally published as Olivia Newton-John has faced more than her fair share of tragedy already
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