Olivia Newton-John Dead at 73: ‘Grease’ Actress Dies After Breast Cancer Battle
08.08.2022 - 22:45
/ usmagazine.com
A heartbreaking battle. Olivia Newton-John has died at age 73 following repeated bouts of stage IV breast cancer.
The actress passed away at her home in California on Monday, August 8, according to her husband, John Easterling, who announced the news via Facebook.
The Grease star was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, undergoing a partial mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. Her illness returned in 2013 and for a third time in 2018.
“I feel lucky that I’m experiencing it for a third time, you know? You have to find the silver lining; there’s good in every bad situation,” she exclusively told Us Weekly of her mindset in April 2019. “I’m very positive. I’m human, I have my moments of fear and anxiety like everybody does, but generally I choose to be positive because you create your world by what you think. And if you think dark thoughts, you’re going to create a dark world.”
The “Physical” singer added: “If you think positive thoughts, you’ll create a positive world around yourself and attract positive people to you. I’m very lucky in all those areas; I have the best husband in the world and the best daughter. I’m lucky.”
One month prior, the Australian star opened up about why she chose to keep her health out of the spotlight, telling Today that she wanted to avoid “speculation” about her personal battle.
“I just decided I wanted to go through it myself,” she said during the March 2019 interview. “And I did a lot of natural healing and a lot of herbs that my husband made for me.”
Throughout her own ups and downs, the songwriter started the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund to “educate patients and their caregivers about kinder options for treating cancer” and to contribute donations to cancer research, per its website.