The death of Olivia Newton-John – Franklin’s goosebump moment

(text video)

The Unforgettable Sandy from “Grease”

Olivia Newton-John, known internationally for playing the character of Sandy in the film classic “Grease”, died in August 2022 from breast cancer, a disease she had to fight for almost 30 years.

The British actress, who grew up in Australia, was one of the most popular in the late 70s thanks to her starring role in the musical where she shared credits with John Travolta, who was her closest friend until the time of her death.

Who Was Olivia Newton-John?

Newton-John was born in the United Kingdom in September 1948 and lived most of her adolescence in Australia. Ever since she was a child, she had a great taste for music, which led her to create a band with her schoolmates, a group that she used as a hobby and to generate some income.

Her career as a professional singer began when she managed to record her first 3 singles. However, it would only be years later that she would begin to see success. It was the famous song ‘Physical’ -used as inspiration to do exercises- which gave a great boost to her musical career.

Her Success As a Singer

In 1981, she took her new, sexier persona a step further with “Physical,” a dance number with suggestive lyrics such as “There’s nothing left to talk about unless it’s horizontally.” Banned by several radio stations, it became her biggest hit, spending 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

She also appeared in several big-budget films, including the musical fantasy “Xanadu,” with Hollywood legend Gene Kelly in her final screen role. The film flopped, but its soundtrack sold well and spawned “Magic,” a number-one hit.

In 1983 she appeared again with Travolta in “Two of a Kind,” a fantasy romantic comedy, but failed to recapture the spark of “Grease.”

“I’ve had many lives in music. I was country when I started, then I crossed over to pop,” she told CNN. “I had ‘Xanadu’ and ‘Grease,’ a lot of songs in between. I feel very grateful. I have a very large repertoire to choose from.”

More about Olivia Newton-John:

• Olivia Newton-John – Wikipedia
• About – Olivia Newton-John
• Read John Travolta’s Emotional Tribute to Olivia Newton-John at the Oscars