Breast cancer claims Olivia Newton-John
British-Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John, a favourite in Jamaica, died on August 8 in Los Angeles from breast cancer.
She was 73.
A post on her official Facebook page confirmed her death.
Born in 1948 in England, Newton-John moved to Australia with her family at age five. In 1971 her solo career kicked off, but it was not until her third album, Let Me Be There, that she enjoyed a commercial breakthrough; the title track won her a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
The next year Newton-John collected two more Grammys, this time Record of The Year and Best Post Vocal Performance, Female, for I Honestly Love You.
In 1978, Newton-John’s acting career took off with Grease, a 1950s-inspired movie in which she starred with John Travolta.
Her most popular songs in Jamaica were Physical (number one on RJR and JBC Radio One charts in 1981), You’re the One That I Want (with John Travolta), Please Mr Please, Have You Never Been Mellow, Let Me Be There, Hopelessly Devoted to You, and Xanadu.
Jamaican singer Sharon Myles covered Physical in 2013. It is featured on the various artistes compilation album, Best of Reggae Lounge: The 1980s.
Newton-John is survived by her daughter Chloe, her husband of 14 years John Easterling, as well as a sister and brother.
