Her death on Monday 8 August, aged 73, rocked the showbiz world. And one of the first celebrities to pay tribute to Olivia Newton-John was her Grease co-star John Travolta, who wrote: ‘My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better… We will see you down the road and we will all be together again… Your Danny, your John!’
But it was the tribute of Olivia Newton-John’s grieving daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, to her beloved mother – who had seen her through so much – that was the most moving.
The British-Australian icon passed away peacefully at her southern Californian ranch surrounded by family and friends, including husband John Easterling, following a 30-year battle with breast cancer.
Daughter Chloe, 36, a singer and Olivia’s only child with ex-husband Matt Lattanzi, had uploaded a beautiful snap of herself and Olivia in matching white outfits just days before, with the caption: ‘I worship this woman. My mother. My best friend. @therealonj.’
And hours after her passing, Chloe returned to Instagram to share a gallery of childhood family photos.
The first was a black-andwhite photo of little Chloe kissing her mother during a photo shoot. Another showed Olivia cuddling a baby Chloe, and another saw the pair attend a charity event when Chloe was a pre-teen.
During the pandemic, Chloe moved in with Olivia and her husband in LA, which Olivia described as ‘a dream time’.
Their bond was special, and Olivia supported her daughter through depression, drug addiction, anorexia and body dysmorphia.
Indeed, Olivia – at the time battling the recurrence of her breast cancer – broke down when Chloe revealed she’d finally rediscovered her ‘self-worth’ in an emotional 2020 interview. Speaking of her initial diagnosis, Olivia revealed in an interview that despite the ‘terror’, she was determined to be strong for her daughter. ‘I had to believe I was going to be OK, for her,’ she said.
In one of her final interviews, Olivia appeared on the A Life of Greatness podcast a year ago revealing a pact she made with God, while pregnant back in the Eighties.
‘I was pregnant with Chloe, and close to losing her. I went to bed and asked God to save her and if he did, I would say the Lord’s Prayer every night for the rest of my life, and so I have.’
Chloe was equally devoted to her mum after Olivia’s breast cancer returned at stage 4 and metastasised to her lower back in 2017, following two other private struggles with the disease, in 1992 and 2013. ‘My mom is so powerful she will beat this in no time.’
Sadly, it was, ultimately, not to be. But Olivia’s spirit will live on in brave Chloe, who as her beautiful mother said, is blessed with ‘power and grace’.
- Heat Issue 1205
Remembering Olivia Newton-John…
She brought us Sandy from Grease and the absolute ‘80s bop that is Physical. Sadly, Olivia Newton-John passed away on 8 August after a 30-year battle with cancer. Social media has been awash with tributes to the Australian actress, singer and activist from friends and fans, including her co-star John Travolta. He signed off his heartfelt post with, “Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever. Your Danny, your John”, while fellow Aussie Kylie Minogue called Olivia, “An inspiration in so many, many ways”.
