Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Obituary: Olivia Newton-John

Obituary: Olivia Newton-John

Olivia Newton-John, who has died aged 73, began her career as the sweetheart of country-flavoured pop.

It all changed when she donned black spandex for Grease, one of the most successful film musicals of all time.

Her new raunchy image found its peak in her 1981 album, Physical.

But a diagnosis of breast cancer saw her move to an introspective style and she devoted more time to humanitarian causes.

Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge on 26 September 1948. Her Welsh father had been an MI5 agent during World War II attached to the Enigma project at Bletchley Park.

Her fresh outdoor-girl look saw her appear in a number of advertisements


Her mother was the daughter of the German Nobel laureate, Max Born, and had fled with her family when the Nazis came to power in 1933.

In 1954 her father took up a post as a professor of German at the University of Melbourne and the family moved to Australia.

As a child Newton-John had developed a fascination with animals and harboured ambitions to be a vet but she found science a struggle at school and abandoned the idea.

Instead, she turned to music. She formed a short-lived girl group with three school friends and began performing in a coffee shop run by her sister's boyfriend.


Top prize


A meeting with local singer-songwriter Ian Turpie saw the pair form a professional and romantic relationship.

When Turpie was recruited to present The Go!! Show on ATV 10 in Melbourne, Newton-John became a regular guest, miming to pre-recorded covers of British and US pop hits.

Her rendition of Anyone Who Had a Heart won her the top prize in another talent show, which included a trip to the UK. She was initially reluctant to leave Australia, but her mother saw it as a chance to build her daughter's career and flew with her to London in 1966.

A move to London opened up new possibilities


Appearances in various clubs saw her offered a one-off record deal with Decca but her first single, a cover of 'Till You Say You'll Be Mine, failed to chart.

She teamed up with an old friend from Australia, Pat Carroll, and the two toured Europe as a duo, including a gig at Paul Raymond's Revue which, she later recalled, they hadn't realised was a strip club until they arrived.


Country-flavoured album


Her breakthrough came in 1971 when she released a Bob Dylan-penned track, If Not For You, which reached number seven in the UK charts and featured on an album of the same name.

Another track from the album, Banks of the Ohio, also charted, its country sound heralding the future direction of her music.

There was disappointment when her second album, Olivia, failed to make an impact, although a single, What is Life, made the UK Top 20.

She came fourth in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest


It was the country-flavoured album Let Me Be There that finally broke her in the lucrative US market. The eponymous single won her a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocalist.

Back in the UK she sang the country's Eurovision entry, Long Live Love, in the 1974 song contest - she came fourth in the year Abba won with Waterloo.

The album If You Love Me, Let Me Know established her credentials across the Atlantic. Released only in the US and Canada, it brought her first US number one single, I Honestly Love You. It was the first of seven US number one hits she would have between 1974 and 1977, either in the Billboard Hot 100 or its Adult Contemporary chart.


Screen test


In 1974 she was named Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year, seeing off competition from Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Tanya Tucker.

There was a backlash from US country fans, annoyed at her pop-style music being considered on a par with Nashville's finest but, with the support of established country stars, she was eventually accepted.

By 1977 her career was faltering. She failed to find chart success with new material although a compilation album, Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits, made number seven in the country charts.

Grease sparked a change in image and musical direction


A meeting with producer Alan Carr saw her offered the part of Sandy in a film version of the musical, Grease.

Worried that at 28 she was too old for the teenage role, she insisted on a screen test with John Travolta before accepting the part. The character of Sandy was recast as an expat Australian to accommodate Newton-John's accent.


Rock fantasy


The film was the biggest box-office hit of 1978, and gave Newton-John three hit singles, You're The One That I Want, Hopelessly Devoted to You and Summer Nights as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.

It was a catalyst for change in both her image and her musical direction. She appeared on the cover of her next album, Totally Hot, dressed in black leather. It was her first US Top 10 album since 1975.

The follow-up, Physical, was her most overtly sexual record, and was hailed by many critics as her best album. The title track held the Billboard number one spot for 10 weeks.

She met her first husband Matt Lattanzi on the set of Xanadu


The album was dedicated to her then boyfriend, Matt Lattanzi, whom she married in 1984. The couple had met while filming the rock fantasy - and box-office flop - Xanadu, in which Newton-John had played the lead role.

After taking three years off to raise her daughter, Chloe, she struggled to get her career back on track. There was a further blow when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Her illness, and subsequent recovery, marked another change of musical direction as she returned to more mainstream pop material.


Spiritual ceremony


She also spent more of her time as an advocate of humanitarian and health issues. She had already established herself as a campaigner for animal welfare, cancelling a tour of Japan in 1978 as a protest against the slaughter of dolphins caught in tuna nets.

She was a supporter of cancer charities, something that led to the opening of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre in Melbourne.

She continued to record although many of her subsequent albums were only released in Australia where she performed at the opening of the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Her longevity came from a process of musical reinvention


In 2008 she secretly married John Easterling, the boss of a natural remedy company, in an Incan spiritual ceremony in Peru.

In May 2017 it was announced that her breast cancer had returned and spread to her back resulting in a cancellation of a planned tour in the US and Canada. She publicly campaigned for the legalisation of medicinal cannabis to ease the pain.

Several years later she became Dame Olivia, honoured for her music and charity work.

Olivia Newton-John will be remembered for her ability to re-invent herself. The pop princess of the late 1960s morphed first into a country star, got raunchy in Grease, and then glided into an ambassadorial role on behalf of a number of worthy causes.

In 2019 her legendary spandex-pants and leather jacket from Grease were auctioned for $405,000 - as two billionaires fought for the right to own a piece of one of cinema's most famous scenes.

In line with Dame Olivia's wishes, the proceeds were donated to Australian cancer research.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
American Airlines Adds New Flights to Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Wraps Up
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
U.S. Trade Representative says Washington still negotiating trade deals after court rules tariffs illegal
Von der Leyen says Europe drawing up 'precise' plans to send troops to Ukraine
Kremlin accuses Europe of hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
×