Olivia Newton-John

Dame
Olivia Newton-John
AC DBE
Newton-John in 2012
Born(1948-09-26)26 September 1948
Cambridge, England
Died8 August 2022(2022-08-08) (aged 73)
Santa Ynez, California, U.S.
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • Australia
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actress
  • activist
Years active1963–2022
Works
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1984; div. 1995)​
  • John Easterling
    ​
    (m. 2008)​
ChildrenChloe Lattanzi
Relatives
AwardsFull list
Musical career
OriginMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Labels
Websiteolivianewton-john.com
Signature

Dame Olivia Newton-John AC DBE (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress.[3] She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included fifteen top-ten singles, including five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100[4] and two number-one albums on the Billboard 200: If You Love Me, Let Me Know (1974) and Have You Never Been Mellow (1975). Eleven of her singles (including two Platinum) and fourteen of her albums (including two Platinum and four 2× Platinum) have been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In 1978, Newton-John starred in the musical film Grease, which was the highest-grossing musical film at the time and whose soundtrack remains one of the world's best-selling albums. It features two major hit duets with co-star John Travolta: "You're the One That I Want"—which is one of the best-selling singles of all time—and "Summer Nights". Her signature solo recordings include the Record of the Year Grammy winner "I Honestly Love You" (1974) and "Physical" (1981)—Billboard's highest-ranking Hot 100 single of the 1980s. Other defining hit singles include "If Not for You" and "Banks of the Ohio" (both 1971), "Let Me Be There" (1973), "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" (1974), "Have You Never Been Mellow" (1975), "Sam" (1977), "Hopelessly Devoted to You" (1978; also from Grease), "A Little More Love" (1978), "Twist of Fate" (1983) and, from the 1980 film Xanadu, "Magic" and "Xanadu" (with the Electric Light Orchestra).

With over 100 million records sold,[5] Newton-John is one of the best-selling music artists of all time as well as the highest-selling female Australian recording artist of all-time.[6][7]

Newton-John, who had breast cancer three times, was an advocate and sponsor for breast cancer research. In 2012, the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre at the Austin Hospital opened in her home town of Melbourne; in 2015, the facility was rechristened the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre.[8] She was also an activist for environmental and animal rights causes.[9][10]

  1. ^ "Olivia Newton-John Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Sheffield, Rob (9 August 2022). "Farewell, Olivia Newton-John: Why We Honestly Loved Her". Rolling Stone.
  3. ^ "Companion of the Order of Australia". Australian Honours. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia). 26 January 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  4. ^ Erlewine, Michael (1997). All Music Guide to Country. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. p. 334. ISBN 978-0-87930-475-1. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  5. ^ "Why did Olivia Newton-John make it in the US when so many others didn't?". 12 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Why did Olivia Newton-John make it in the US when so many others didn't?". 12 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Olivia Newton-John displays movie memorabilia in Newbridge". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  8. ^ Burke, Kelly (9 August 2022). "'This was her dream': Olivia Newton-John's legacy lives on at cancer research centre". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  9. ^ Morris, Steven (23 February 2015). "Olivia Newton-John launches Bristol tree-planting project". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  10. ^ "I Want Everyone to Remember How Much Olivia Newton-John Cared About Animals". Town & Country. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2024.