Wishin' and Hopin

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GRAMMY-winning singer Dionne Warwick  offered a glimpse of the special bond they shared with the Grease star who died after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 73. Warwick tells ET they first met in England when Newton-John was working on a show decades ago with the late singer Sacha Distel.

"We kind of just hit it off," the songstress recalled. "You know how girls are, and such a sweetheart. I mean, one of the nicest people I've ever met in a long, long time. She was Olivia. I think that was the charm that she never changed. She was Olivia." Their friendship blossomed, and they'd appear together on Warwick's short-lived talk show, Dionne!, in 1990. Warwick recalled what made performing with Newton-John so special. 

"It was two girlfriends on stage hanging out," Warwick recalled of the experience. "That's exactly what it was, and that's how I'm gonna always remember it, being around her and singing with her and being a part of her life, musically especially. She was very generous, very, when it came to performing with anyone. She kind of laid back when she needed to and gave it all she had when she had to. It was a lot of fun working with her. Very easy."

Not just that, Newton-John appeared on Warwick's 2006 album, My Friends & Me, teaming up for "Wishin' and Hopin'." "You know, when you find songs that are as lovely as that and meaningful as that, it's very easy to sing," Warwick said of their duet. Warwick recalled that when she told Newton-John about the project, she nearly fell out of her chair when Newton-John revealed "Wishin' and Hopin'" was her favorite song.  "Of all songs in the world," Warwick said. "But we had such a good time in the studio doing it. It was one of those songs that you kinda poke a little fun at, and she loved doing that. She was a kind person."

Warwick described Newton-John's voice as "crystal," and the acclaimed singer described exactly what that meant. "Well, first of all, definitely clear," she explained. "Sweet. Enduring. That's what crystal is. It's something that will last forever.