Olivia Newton-John death: Daughter posts moving tribute to Grease star, who has died aged 73

The singer and talk-show host paid tribute to Olivia Newton-John by sharing a clip of herself singing the hit track from Grease “Hopelessly Devoted To You”.

Clarkson performed the song during an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, which aired in 2020.

Stockard Channing, who played Pink Lady Betty Rizzo, remembered her costar as “the essence of summer”.

The actor told People Magazine: “I don’t know if I’ve known a lovelier human being.”

“Olivia was the essence of summer – her sunniness, her warmth and her grace are what always come to mind when I think of her,” she said. “I will miss her enormously.”

Dinah Manoff – who played Marty Maraschino in the film – also issued a statement to People Magazine.

“As many will tell you, Olivia Newton-John was one of the kindest, most generous souls ever to grace the earth, and I was one lucky Pink Lady to have spent time with her during the filming of Grease,” Manoff said.

“She brought light and laughter wherever she went. My deepest condolences to her family and friends during their time of great loss.”

While many people will remember Olivia Newton-John for her iconic role as Sandy Olsson in Grease, the singer and actor had a decades-spanning career that went far beyond the musical film.

She made her name as a folk musician and competed against ABBA at Eurovision before becoming a trail-blazing music video star and advocate for the healing power of cannabis. Kevin EG Perry delves into her legacy.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have paid tribute to Olivia Newton-John aka “Livvie” in a touching Instagram post.

The couple shared a photo of themselves with the star, accompanied by the caption: “Livvie brought the most divine light into the world... so much love, joy inspiration and kindness... and we will always be hopelessly devoted to you – Keith and Nic.”

Mariah Carey has paid tribute to Olivia Newton-John with a heartwarming Instagram post recounting the first time she “fell in love with Olivia’s voice”.

“I first fell in love with Olivia’s voice when I was a little girl and heard ‘I Honestly Love You,’” Carey wrote, praising Newton-John’s “beautiful airy tone and signature sound”.

The singer continued: “And THEN there was GREASE. I was obsessed. I dressed up as Bad Sandy for Halloween in fifth grade and thought I was everything.”

Carey went on to recall when Newton-John joined her on stage in Melbourne, Australia for a duet of “Hopelessly Devoted To You”.

“This is a moment I will never ever forget. I was also blessed to be in her presence on many other occasions and she was one of the kindest, most generous and lovely people I’ve ever met. She will be missed. She will be remembered. She will be loved. Olivia, I honestly love you,” she said.

Barry Pearl – who played the T-bird and Frenchy’s boyfriend, Doody, in the hit musical film – has paid tribute to his friend and co-star.

During an interview on BBC Radio 4 Today on Tuesday (9 August), Pearl became emotional as he recalled writing Newton-John a letter only a week ago.

The actor said he decided to write to her after hearing from a colleague that Newton-John was “failing again” in regards to her illness and suggested that “it wasn’t going to be long” until her death.

“I took it upon myself to write to her, as we would occasionally share emails amongst each other and [with] the other Grease-er pals too,” he explained.

“She would always sign her emails, ‘With love and light, Olivia.’ And I wrote to her – basically if you read between the lines she would be able to tell that I knew there was something going on – and I basically said that, ‘On your journey forward, simply know that you, Olivia , are the love and the light.’”

“She just always exuded that positivity. Just the way she handled this journey with grace. Her heart was so big.”

Many of the ‘Grease’ stars have paid tribute to the icon after her death.

John Travolta posted a photograph of the actor on Instagram, with the words: “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much.

“We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”

Read The Independent’s round-up of all the cast reactions here.

Olivia Newton-John was not only an acting and singing legend but an icon in the fashion world, predominantly for her all-black ensemble in ‘Grease’.

For the film’s final scene, Sandy ditches her good girl pastel outfits and dons a rock ‘n’ roll all-black ensemble with skintight trousers, a sexy Bardot top, leather jacket and bright red heels.

The trousers and leather jacket were sold at auction in 2019 for more than £300,000, with the proceeds going to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre.

Fashion experts have weighed in on what made the outfit so evocative. Shakaila Forbes-Bell, fashion psychologist and author of the upcoming book ‘Big Dress Energy’ (Piatkus, £16.99, Sep 15) suggests it became so popular because it’s relatable for many women.

“It’s the perfect transformational piece,” she says. “A lot of women go through that period when they want to step into a different headspace. They want to shed off their girlhood and step into womanhood, and it was the perfect visual representation of that.”

In her heartfelt tribute to the Grease star, former EastEnders actor Samantha Womack revealed she had breast cancer, which Newton-John died from.

Womack, who played Newton-John’s character in the West End production of musical Grease in the 1990s, shared a photo of herself alongside the actor and her daughter, Chloe Latanzzi.

“I now start my own battle with this disease and am left feeling deeply moved,” she wrote on Twitter.