Olivia Newton-John sold off her real estate after stage 4 diagnosis

She’s being remembered as one of the kindest stars in showbiz, and some of Olivia Newton-John’s selfless final actions prove why.

In 2019, one year after Olivia Newton-John revealed she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, the Australian singer sold most of her huge real estate portfolio in order to invest more into her foundation and wellness centre.

TheNew York Post reports the Grease actress, who died on Tuesday aged 73, began getting her affairs in order three years ago.

“Olivia loved helping people. She spent the last two decades of her life giving back,” a source close to Newton-John told the publication.

“She wanted to leave behind something that would last, and something that her daughter, too, could benefit from.”

Newton-John – who shared daughter Chloe Rose Lattanzi, 36, with her first husband Matt Lattanzi – listed her California horse ranch of four years for $5.4m in 2019.

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Olivia Newton-John happy at her California horse ranch home. Picture: Supplied

Olivia Newton-John bought the California ranch in 2015. Picture: Kathryn Burke

For unknown reasons Newton-John ultimately didn’t end up selling it, and ended up spending her remaining days in the home, according to the source.

Instead, in October 2021, records show Newton-John officially transferred full ownership of the Santa Barbara estate to her husband, John Easterling, who refinanced the mortgage with $2.5m left on the home.

Olivia transferred ownership of her ranch to husband John Easterling, who refinanced the mortgage with $2.5m left on the home.

“She was in a lot of pain, but she was a fighter,” the source explained. “The place was her heaven on Earth and it gave her many calming moments in her final days.”

“They loved it,” Michael Caprio, her friend and publicist, toldThe Post separately.

The two had initially purchased the four-bedroom, five-bathroom Santa Ynez property for $4.69m in 2015.

Situated on 5ha alongside the Santa Ynez River with a 414 sqm main house, other amenities include a two-bedroom guesthouse, a barn, stables and a pool.

Olivia Newton-John listed her Californian ranch in 2019, before transferring ownership of the home to her husband.

Newly built in 2008, the contemporary estate features a main residence accented with wood, skylight ceilings in the main living room, windows in the gourmet kitchen and an opulent sun room.

Olivia spent her final days at the stunning property.

The Grease actress owned the property for four years.

In June 2019, one month after listing her California home, she also put her 76ha Australian farm on the market.

Newton-John initially purchased the land – located in the town of Dalwood in NSW – in the 1980s and rebuilt the home in the early 2000s.

A month after listing, it sold for $4.6m.

The French country-style property is made up of eight lots, with a three-bedroom, two-bathroom main house and a one-bedroom guest suite, a previous listing notes.

Newton-John sold her Dalwood property in NSW in 2019.

The home features a terracotta-coloured exterior and rustic interiors, as well as wraparound terraces.

The compound has its own robust rainforest with a natural waterfall, two dams, a creek and large bird populations, according to the previous listing. It also borders Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a national park, which adds to the privacy of its secluded location.

She had owned the Dalwood estate since the 1980s.

The home sold for $4.6m.

Over the years, the late Australian singer, actor and entrepreneur had invested in her Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre at Melbourne’s Austin Hospital.

She established the facility in 2012 at a cost of $189 million, with state and federal funding plus philanthropic support bringing it to fruition.

In 2005, she co-founded the award-winning Gaia Retreat & Spa, a health retreat in the Bunjalung Country of Byron Bay, a region known as the healing heartland of Australia.

She also launched the Olivia Newton-John Foundation in recent years.

“The idea is to fund research into kinder ways to treat cancer, to prevent cancer, and to live well with cancer,” she said in a 2020 interview with Forbes.

“So (as a result of) all those things, I believe, we will eventually see a world beyond it where it’s just treated as any other illness that you can kind of control and live well with and, of course, hopefully cure it. Living well is something that I do, and I’m hoping that I can help others do that.”

Olivia Newton-John with her daughter Chloe Lattanzi. Picture: Bryan Steffy/WireImage

She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, then again in 2013, before her third and final diagnosis in 2017.

“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” her husband of 14 years wrote in a statement posted to social media on Monday.

“Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”

The four-time Grammy Award-winner is most remembered for her role as Sandy in the critically acclaimed film Grease, which co-starred John Travolta.

This story originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission.