Olivia Newton-John Dead at 73

Dynamic actor and musician Olivia Newton-John, famous for everything from playing Sandy in the film Grease to having five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, has died. She was 73.

A statement from her husband posted to her Instagram said she died peacefully Monday morning at her Southern California ranch.

“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” her husband, John Easterling, wrote. “Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”

In addition to being a veteran actor and musician, Newton-John spent the majority of the latter half of her career as an advocate for cancer patients and survivors. Thirty years after her first breast cancer diagnosis in 1992, Newton-John still maintained an air of positivity when it came to dealing with cancer.

“A lot of people see it as a fight, and wherever you choose to see it, that’s your prerogative,” she said. “I see it as part of my mission.”

Reacting on Instagram to the news of her death, Grease costar John Travolta said Newtown-John had impacted him deeply. “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much,” Travolta wrote. “We will see you down the road and we will all be together again.”

Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England, in 1948 to parents Brinley and Irene Helene Newton-John. The youngest of three children, she was the granddaughter of Nobel Prize–winning physicist Max Born. Newton-John spent the majority of her schooling in Melbourne, Australia, where her family moved when she was 5 years old.

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