Olivia Newton John has died at the age of 73, her husband has confirmed on social media.
The Cambridge-born Australian singer and actor, who is best-known for her role Sandy in the 1978 musical Grease , is said to have passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California this morning with her family and friends around her.
In a statement posted on social media, Olivia Newton-John's widower John Easterling said: "Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends. We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.
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"Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer. Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer."
Newton-John became the first Australian female artist to have a UK number 1 and y ou're the one that I want with co-star John Travolta is still the 5th best-selling song of all time in the UK and one of the longest-reigning UK number one singles by a female act. She also scored number ones with Summer Nights and Xanadu , while Hopelessly Devoted to You reached number 2.
Dame Olivia also represented the UK at the Eurovision song contest in 1974 with the song Long Live Love, finishing in fourth place and losing out to Abba's Waterloo. She sold more than 100 million records and won four Grammies, and made several more appearances in TV programmes and films.
However, in later life she became better known for her activism around cancer research after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. She remained cancer-free until a recurrence in 2013 then in September 2018, she revealed on Australian TV that she had been diagnosed with cancer for a third time.
She is survived by her husband as well as her daughter Chloe Lattanzi.
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