Tragically, Olivia Newton-John passed away on August 8, 2022. Over the decades, she achieved immense success as an actor and singer, and the film Grease helped transform her into an icon. Millions grieved when she died, and many of those fans are still processing that grief.
If you’re one of those fans, we have to warn you: her final photo is perfect enough to make you cry. If we had to tell you what that photo says about her life, the short answer is “everything.”
But what is Olivia Newton-John’s final photo and the story behind it? And what are the stories about her life that even Newton-John’s biggest fans don’t know about? Keep reading to find out!
Childhood dreams of her future career
Olivia Newton-John dreamed of a career in entertainment since she was a teenager. Before that, she had a very different dream: becoming a veterinarian.
The actor disclosed this detail to Interview magazine back in 2011. “When I was a young girl I was so crazy about animals that I wanted to do something associated with them, and I thought of being a vet,” she said. “But then again, I figured I had to go to medical school and science wasn’t a good subject for me, so I dropped the idea pretty soon and thought maybe I could be a vet’s assistant.”
At 14 years old, Newton-John joined a singing group along with three other music-loving girls. That group, named Sol 4, didn’t last very long. However, it gave Newton-John the confidence to compete in a major talent competition when she was 15. This helped her get acting jobs, and dreams of being a vet faded, replaced with dreams of being a professional singer and actor.
Olivia Newton-John almost missed out on ‘Grease’
We know that Olivia Newton-John was talented enough to achieve success on her own terms. However, her getting cast as Sandy in Grease helped put her on the map while opening more doors than she could ever count. Those doors nearly stayed closed, though, because Newton-John nearly passed on the role!
Why would anyone pass on such a role? As it turns out, she had pragmatic concerns. According to the Mirror, she told audiences during a 2018 Grease screening that “I really wasn’t sure I wanted to do the movie because I’d made a movie before in England, which was a musical, and it didn’t work, so I was very frightened about doing a movie.”
She also had concerns about playing a high school student when she herself was 29. However, the studio used a secret weapon to convince her to take the role: John Travolta! “Then they sent John to meet me, and who could say no, right? This gorgeous guy walks up my driveway, these bright blue eyes, and he was so sweet and melted me and he talked about it.”
Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were lifelong friends
Even blind people watching Grease could see the clear sexual chemistry Olivia Newton-John had with John Travolta. And this led to a fairly common question among fans: why did these two hot actors with great chemistry never hook up?
Newton-John opened up about this popular topic in an appearance on the No Filter podcast. “We were both with other people when we were filming, and I think, respectfully, we just didn’t happen,” she said. “I think it was good, because I think it kept the tension there and the chemistry. It might have been a real disaster had we decided to date, or we had a falling out or something. So, I think it was just as well it didn’t happen. But we’re still great friends.”
And that friendship never faded. Travolta revealed to Us Weekly in 2019 that and Newton-John “were together not that long ago, about three months ago, and we text each other all the time.” Additionally, Travolta was enough of a fanboy to go watch Newton-John when she traveled and performed. “It’s wonderful. … If I go to see her in her show, we go backstage and hang out, and I watch the show and all that,” he said. “If I go to see her personally, we usually have dinner and catch up. And recently we’ve been talking about trying to do something together.”
When she passed away, Travolta posted a heartbreaking farewell on Instagram. “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better,” he wrote. “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”
Does anyone else have a little something caught in their eyes after reading that?
Olivia Newton-John’s first marriage ended after her cancer diagnosis
Newton-John may have never gotten together with John Travolta, but she did have other notable relationships.
In 1984, she married actor and dancer Matt Lattanzi. Their daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, was born two years later, but their relationship splintered in 1992 when Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer. Lattanzi ran off with their babysitter when Newton-John confronted him about suspicions he was having an affair. They divorced in 1995, after 11 years of marriage.
She later told the Daily Mail, “I think our marriage would have eventually come to an end, but it happened sooner because of the cancer, which was a good thing.”
Olivia Newton-John’s former boyfriend allegedly faked his own death
In 1996, Olivia Newton-John began an on-and-off relationship with a Hollywood cameraman named Patrick McDermott. They split up in 2005, ending a nine-year relationship. Shortly afterward, McDermott went missing on an overnight fishing trip near San Pedro, California, presumably drowned. A body was never found.
“I think there will always be a question mark… I don’t think I will ever really be at peace with it,” Newton-John told Australian Women’s Weekly in 2009 (via New York Post).
However, private detectives believed they had found him living in Mexico in 2010, fueling theories he had faked his death to dodge child support payments owed to his ex-wife, actress Yvette Nipar, and other debts.
Olivia Newton-John found the love of her life at 59
If it seems unfair that Olivia Newton-John had such a rough go in love, don’t worry. Eventually she did find, in her own words, “the love of my life.”
In 2006, one year after McDermott’s disappearance, she began dating American businessman John Easterling, founder of the Amazon Herb Company. They married two years later and remained married for the rest of her life.
In fact, Newton-John raved about Easterling to People in 2016, proclaiming, “I’m very lucky I have a wonderful, beautiful husband who is just so loving and fantastic.”
She added, “I always tell my friends you’re never too old to find love. I found the love of my life at 59 going on 60! I’m grateful.”
Olivia Newton-John fought breast cancer for 30 years
Newton-John fought breast three times over the course of 30 years: she was diagnosed with the disease in 1992, 2013, and 2017. During her long fight, she underwent a partial mastectomy, chemotherapy and breast reconstruction to stave off the disease. But despite all her efforts, in 2020, doctors told her he had developed stage 4 metastatic breast cancer (via NBC News).
It was at this time, in October 2020, that she shared her thoughts on living with the disease for so long. “I see it as my life’s journey,” she told The Guardian. “It gave me purpose and intention and taught me a lot about compassion. It has been a gift. I don’t wish it on anyone else. But for me, it’s been important in my life.”
Then, she said something that really resonates in the wake of her death two years later. “Listen, I think every day is a blessing,” she said. “You never know when your time is over; we all have a finite amount of time on this planet, and we just need to be grateful for that.”
With that in mind, that brings us to Olivia Newton-John’s final photo.
Olivia Newton-John’s final photo broke our hearts
The photo above is believed to be the last candid photo Olivia Newton-John ever shared with the public. She posted it to Instagram on April 17. And we think this image says everything about her amazing life.
Her caption was nice and simple: “Wishing everyone a Happy Easter on this beautiful Spring day!”
Easter is a time when we celebrate the renewal of life and the growth of new things. Newton-John, smiling beatifically among blooming flowers, is the perfect image of this message.
Spring is a time of warmth and comfort. And now, whatever the season, we will look back to the life and works of Olivia Newton-John to provide us with the warmth and comfort we’ve been missing!
In her final video message to her fans, posted just before Christmas 2021, Newton-John said, “I want to thank you all for all of your support over the years and I wish you all the best and send you love and light.”