Olivia ‘very clear and not in pain’ in her final days
Relief at singer’s quality of life
All the accolades... she would just kind of brush that off
JOHN EASTERLING ON GROUNDED STAR OLIVIA
BY
DESPITE her long battle with cancer, Dame Olivia Newton-john was free of pain in the days before she died, her husband says.
John Easterling added the singer and actress would have made light of the glowing tributes paid to her.
Grease star Olivia died in August at her ranch in California, aged 73.
US businessman John, 70, said: “She was very clear and very alive and very conscious and not in pain.
“So there was a quality of life there at that time that I think is so critical.”
Olivia, who had undergone chemotherapy and a mastectomy, had breast cancer three times. She was first diagnosed in 1992. It returned in 2013 and again in 2017, having spread to her spine.
John said Olivia’s focus was on other people, telling the Daily Telegraph in Australia she would have been surprised by the global outpouring of grief. He added: “All the accolades... she would kind of brush that off.
“She was just busy focusing on living her life being a joyful spirit.”
His comments came as details were released of a state memorial in Olivia’s honour in her homeland of Australia.
She will be remembered at a free service in Melbourne on February 26.
The event will feature tributes from family and friends and will include a performance from Aussie singer Delta Goodrem, 38, who played Olivia in a 2018 mini-series.
Daniel Andrews, the Premier of the state of Victoria, hailed
Olivia as a hero for her contribution to the arts and her philanthropy, including raising funds for cancer research.
He said: “Dame Olivia
Newton-john was an inspiration to many around the world.
“We know Victorians are eager to celebrate the life of a driving force in medical research and an icon of film and music, with a service befitting her international acclaim.”
Olivia, whose No1 hits included Xanadu, with ELO, lived in Britain until emigrating to Melbourne when she was five.
She had one child – singer Chloe Lattanzi, 37, with first husband US actor Matt Lattanzi, 64.