According to news reports, Olivia Newton-John has passed away at the age of 73 from breast cancer.
She was Sandy, she was a Xanadu rollerskater, she’d definitely been mellow and she was such an icon for our age. I must have seen Grease 30+ times in my life, saw it 5 times in the movie theater in 1978 and even hosted a Grease-themed birthday party where we all got Sandy tees.
That leather outfit! Those blonde curls, daringly pinned up on one side. That cigarette!
“Tell me about it, stud.”
Australian easy listening and we loved her. You have to believe she was magic.
Noooooo! Soooo many memories - Grease was one of the first movies I saw in theaters... with a bunch of friends... no parents. Her song "I Honestly Love You" was my go to for singing into a hairbrush in front of the mirror. And the duet she did with John Travolta on the Ellen Show a few years ago came across my TikTok feed which inspired me to listen to the Grease soundtrack during our family barbecue this past weekend. We ALL loved her. She was indeed magic.
Sigh. How many times did I act out every song from Grease with my friends??? Like the every song scene and we all had parts and of course had to switch off because we all wanted to be her. And before that, Totally Hot was right up there with Andy Gibb's Shadow Dancing, too competing for LP time.
So sad she is gone. I listened dreamily to my LP of Have You Never Been Mellow a million times, as a pre-teen. My first record album purchase. And then loved loved her in Grease. Rest in peace with love and beautiful songs, Olivia!
I saw Xanadu in the theater, had the Grease photo book and album and could sing every song word for word and definitely knew the words to every ONJ hit of the 80’s. She was an icon. Didn’t realize she was such an advocate of plant based cancer treatments.
*The* party and after-school activity of choice was play-acting Grease. The Pink Lady outfits were easy: our black leotards from dancing school, paired with a pair of Jordache or Gloria Vanderbilt jeans.
My heart is broken. Before she was Sandy, before she roller-skated and all that…. she was The Singer My Mom Liked. I grew up with her ‘70s songs, which my mom would listen to while ironing. Or, when we were out driving and one of her songs would come on, my mom would exclaim, “Olivia!” My mom also looked like her. Celebrities die all the time… but this one… this one really hurts.
Noooooo! Soooo many memories - Grease was one of the first movies I saw in theaters... with a bunch of friends... no parents. Her song "I Honestly Love You" was my go to for singing into a hairbrush in front of the mirror. And the duet she did with John Travolta on the Ellen Show a few years ago came across my TikTok feed which inspired me to listen to the Grease soundtrack during our family barbecue this past weekend. We ALL loved her. She was indeed magic.
Sigh. How many times did I act out every song from Grease with my friends??? Like the every song scene and we all had parts and of course had to switch off because we all wanted to be her. And before that, Totally Hot was right up there with Andy Gibb's Shadow Dancing, too competing for LP time.
So heart breaking. What an icon for our generation and also an elegant lady. I remember seeing Grease in the movie theatre with my mom. Sweet memory.
what a legend
That's so sad. Her greatest hits album was the first album that was "mine" when I was a kid. I loved her!
So sad she is gone. I listened dreamily to my LP of Have You Never Been Mellow a million times, as a pre-teen. My first record album purchase. And then loved loved her in Grease. Rest in peace with love and beautiful songs, Olivia!
I saw Xanadu in the theater, had the Grease photo book and album and could sing every song word for word and definitely knew the words to every ONJ hit of the 80’s. She was an icon. Didn’t realize she was such an advocate of plant based cancer treatments.
Catholic school, Trenton, New Jersey, 1978.
*The* party and after-school activity of choice was play-acting Grease. The Pink Lady outfits were easy: our black leotards from dancing school, paired with a pair of Jordache or Gloria Vanderbilt jeans.
Your neon lights will shine, ONJ.
Now I can’t get that song out of my head! 
I met her at a DJ gig I had when I lived in LA in the ‘80s - and she was even sweeter, nicer, humble, and fucking awesome than you could imagine.
❤️
Love that, thanks for sharing!!
My heart is broken. Before she was Sandy, before she roller-skated and all that…. she was The Singer My Mom Liked. I grew up with her ‘70s songs, which my mom would listen to while ironing. Or, when we were out driving and one of her songs would come on, my mom would exclaim, “Olivia!” My mom also looked like her. Celebrities die all the time… but this one… this one really hurts.