Olivia Newton Johnthe best pop singer of the 1970s who starred in films such as “Fatand “Xanadu,” died Monday. She was 73 years old.

Her husband John Easterling posted the news on his official Facebook pagewriting:

“Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully this morning at her ranch in Southern California, surrounded by family and friends. We ask everyone to respect the privacy of the family during this very difficult time. »

No cause of death was given, but Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer which surfaced for the third time in 2017. “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 in plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to plant medicine and cancer research,” wrote her husband.

His “Grease” co-star and duet partner John Travolta was quick to weigh in with a tribute on social media. “My dearest Olivia, you have made our lives so much better,” he wrote. “Your impact has been incredible. I love you so much. We will see you on the road again and we will all be together again. Yours as soon as I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!

Chart historian Joel Whitburn ranked the warm-voiced Australian singer as the No. 1 female soloist of the 70s. Her nine top-10 pop singles of the decade included three chart-topping 45s; the biggest of them, “You’re the One That I Want,” a duet with Travolta from the 1978 soundtrack to the musical “Grease,” spent nearly six months on U.S. charts.

Newton-John remained a strong business force into the 1980s; she recorded the biggest hit of her career, “Physical,” in 1981. Although her other major musical feature “Xanadu” was a costly flop in 1980, its double-platinum soundtrack spawned three hit singles, including the #1 radio ubiquity “The Magic.”

Initially designated as a country singer, she quickly conquered the pop charts with a succession of well-peeled songs. Although the hits dried up in the early ’90s, she remained a beloved performer into the new millennium, with an enduring fanbase buoyed by the continued popularity of “Grease” as a cable television staple and singing theatrical projections.

For the past few years, she has spoken of her seemingly optimistic attitude even as the cancer returned after being diagnosed cancer-free. “I’m happy. I’m lucky. I’m grateful. I have a lot to live for. And I intend to continue living it,” she told Gayle King in an interview for “CBS This Morning” performed on his California ranch in 2019. “Why Me” was never part of it.

She was born on September 26, 1948 in Cambridge, England. Her grandfather was Nobel Prize-winning physicist Max Born. When she was 6, her family moved to Melbourne.

Active in music since high school, Newton-John turned professional as a teenager, appearing on Australian television. She returned to Britain with a plane ticket she won by appearing on the Australian talent show ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’. Although she recorded for British Decca while there, she became homesick and returned to the Antipodes, but returned to England to perform with her musical partner Pat Carroll.

After an unfortunate stint with Toomorrow, producer Don Kirshner’s attempt to formulate a British equivalent of the Monkees, Newton-John’s solo career took off with “If Not For You”, a cover of the Bob Dylan-George Harrison country song, and a version of the folk standard “Banks of the Ohio”.

Both singles managed to chart in the United States in 1971, but it had to wait two years before having a major impact in the United States. His MCA singles “Let Me Be There” and “If You Love Me (Let Me Know)” reached the top 10 on country and pop charts. The former number won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and Newton-John won an Academy of Country Music Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist.

His early career peaked in 1974 with the ballad “I Honestly Love You”, which topped the pop charts and peaked at No. 6 nationally; the song earned Newton-John kudos for Female Vocalist of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards in 1974. A second No. 1 pop, “Have You Never Been Mellow”, arrived in 1975. Although she would count three more countries among the top five singles and reliably crossed the adult contemporary charts, she was firmly entrenched as a pop star in the United States

Newton-John’s career sizzled with the mega hit “Grease.” Although the 29-year-old singer feared she was too old for her role, she put on a confident performance in the 50s-themed musical as high school virgin Sandy Olsson, and showed impressive chemistry. facing Travolta, coming out of his “Saturday Night Fever” breakthrough and cast as bad boy Danny Zuko.

The Paramount release was an immediate success, spawning a hugely successful soundtrack album. The Newton-John/Travolta duet “You’re the One That I Want” was replaced by two other top five singles, “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “Summer Nights”, also taken from the photo. The soundtrack LP sat at No. 1 for 10 weeks and spent a total of 77 weeks on the charts.

After 1978’s double-platinum album “Totally Hot,” Newton-John returned to the screen for the bad “Xanadu.” The squeaky-roller disco-themed plot incongruously cast the singer as a Greek muse, opposite 68-year-old Gene Kelly. Greeted with dismal reviews, the pic was an instant flop. Its main beneficiary was Newton-John: the singles “Magic”, “Xanadu” (with the Electric Light Orchestra) and “Suddenly” (with Cliff Richard) propelled the No. 5 soundtrack album to double status platinum.

Newton-John’s film career never really recovered from “Xanadu.” A reteaming with Travolta in the 1983 romantic comedy “Two of a Kind” also stiffened at the box office, and her starring roles were later limited to TV movies.

After successfully ruining her pristine image with her good-girl-turned-naughty turn in “Grease” and her “Totally Hot” album, Newton-John upped the ante with 1981’s single “Physical.” were sweetened by a coy video hinting that the song was actually about…working out.

The singer recalled in 2017, “I was having a panic attack when he came out because I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve gone too far! We just need to do an exercise video. And that made it even bigger!” The single, her last No. 1, held the top of the chart for 10 weeks, moving over a million copies.

Of the peak she once considered “risky,” Newton-John told King in 2019, “Now, compared to what’s on the radio, it’s kind of like a lullaby.”

After 1981’s double-platinum “Physical” album and top five singles “Make a Move On Me” (#5, 1982) and “Heart Attack” (#3, 1982), Newton-John’s pop career stuttered. She took a long break after the birth of her daughter Chloe in 1986 (from her marriage to actor Matt Lattanzi, whom she divorced in 1995).

She suffered business and personal setbacks in 1992. Koala Blue, a chain of boutiques she operated with her former singing partner Pat Carroll, went bankrupt. She had a serious health crisis when she was diagnosed with breast cancer; after a mastectomy, she became a leading spokesperson for cancer awareness and established the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research and Wellness Center in Victoria, Australia.

After his Nashville return “Back with a Heart” (1998), Newton-John’s albums sold primarily Down Under; a late exception was 2012’s Yuletide album “This Christmas”, a pairing with Travolta which reached #81 nationally.

She successfully toured with Australian star John Farnham and performed a duet with him at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She continued acting, taking an unusual turn as a former gay country singer in the feature film “Sordid Lives” and its cable television spinoff. After guest-starring as herself on Fox’s 2010 hit “Glee,” a remake of “Physical” with the cast peaked at No. 89, becoming her first pop single to hit the chart in 12 years.

She hit the road again in the United States for a well-received trek in 2017.

Her family has requested that donations be made in her memory to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund (ONJFoundationFund.org).

She is survived by her husband John Easterling; his daughter Chloé Lattanzi; sister Sarah Newton-John; brother Toby Newton-John; nieces and nephews Tottie, Fiona and Brett Goldsmith; Emerson, Charlie, Zac, Jeremy, Randall and Pierz Newton-John; Jude Newton Stock, Layla Lee; Kira and Tasha Edelstein; and Brin and Valerie Hall.