How the US became hopelessly devoted to Olivia Newton-John

Despite her fame in America, Australia was as dear to Olivia Newton-John’s heart on the day she died as it was when she moved to the US all the way back in 1975.

Olivia Newton-John receives her award from Joe Hockey. Picture: Danny Moloshok

Three years ago, on a bright blue Los Angeles afternoon, Olivia Newton-John gathered 30 of her closest friends and family to watch what she described as one of the most important moments of her life.

By that stage, her cancer had returned for the third time and Australia’s best-known and most-loved singer knew the road ahead would be tough.

She had enjoyed fame in the US beyond her wildest dreams, but on this day in June 2019, ­Australia had come to her – to ­publicly thank its favourite daughter, perhaps for the last time, for her work as a singer, actor and philanthropist.

The then 70-year-old, dressed in a white suit, stood up and flashed that smile as Australia’s highest honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia, was placed around her neck in a backyard ceremony in LA.

Newton-John bowed to the small crowd and then shouted “Woohoo!’’, throwing her hands in the air. “Thank you for this ­gorgeous medal … I’ll continue to do the best for the country I love,” she said. Despite her best efforts, she then began to cry.

It was a heartfelt moment that spoke volumes about Newton-John. Despite her fame in America, Australia was as dear to her heart on the day she died as it was when she moved to the US all the way back in 1975.

So while the outpouring of grief upon hearing of her death came from around the world, it was Australia and the US – the two countries she loved the most – that have been grieving her loss the hardest.

In the US, Newton-John’s death was headline news, with prominent stories in every major newspaper and her hits, especially from Grease, played on radio, TV and social media across the country. Within hours, bouquets of flowers covered her star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Legendary American singers from Barbra Streisand to Dionne Warwick paid tribute, along with Grease co-star and close friend John Travolta, who signed his tribute “Your Danny, your John”.

Most Americans can name only a handful of Australians, but the three they can almost always name are Olivia Newton-John, Paul Hogan and Greg Norman.

When The New York Times published a lukewarm obituary, saying Newton-John’s biggest claim to fame was being “likeable”, more than 600 angry readers sent in comments praising Newton-John and savaging the newspaper. “I have adored her more than any other celebrity in my 50 years. She graced this world with her presence,” wrote Crystal from Colorado.

“It feels like my youth just died,” wrote Gretchen from Alexandria in Virginia.

The enduring success of Grease, the highest grossing ­musical ever at the time, ensured Newton-John remained well known in the US even after her career began to wane in the mid-1980s.

In 1984, she married actor Matt Lattanzi, with whom she had her daughter Chloe Rose, but they divorced in 1995, three years after Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She then met cameraman Patrick McDermott. In 2005, although the US Coastguard said it believed he had drowned, tabloid magazines reported rumours he had faked his own death, a claim that has never been proven.

Since 2008, Newton-John was married to John Easterling, a businessman who grew medical marijuana as part of her cancer therapy. Although Newton-John continued to perform after 2000, she invested more of her time and money helping cancer research, founding the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne.

When she passed away at her ranch in south California on Monday, Mr Easterling described her as a “symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer”.

Yet in the US, it was as a performer that she will be remembered. As The Washington Post put it: “She sang for presidents and a pope, the sick and the disabled, and promoted music as a form of spiritual therapy.” 

Among an avalanche of love from readers of the NYT, Alan from Pittsburgh put it well: “She was an absolute star to the girls who were just becoming teens in the 1980s. Free of politics and prejudice, we may never see those days again.”