A star is gone

Photo: AFP

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians who are hopelessly devoted to Olivia Newton-John are devastated by the news of the entertainer’s death.

Newton-John died on Monday at age 73, her husband John Easterling said.

“Dame Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends.

“We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time,” Easterling wrote in a statement on the singer’s Instagram account.

The four-time Grammy-winning Newton-John started her career as a singer in the early 1970s.

But it was her turn as Sandy, opposite John Travolta’s Danny, in the 1978 musical Grease that catapulted Newton-John to international stardom.

Anthony Ng remembered Newton-John as his first celebrity crush growing up.

“I enjoyed her performance in Grease. I couldn’t even decide whom I liked better – good girl Sandy or bad girl Sandy,” Ng, who is a management consultant, said.

Apart from Grease, the British-born Australian artiste also starred in the 1980 musical Xanadu.

“Watching you sing and perform filled us with so much joy. Hopelessly devoted to you, Olivia,” said Malaysian actress Sue Tan, who is based in Singapore.

For Joe Hasham, the passing of Newton-John was more personal as they were friends when he was living in Australia.

“So terribly sad to hear that we have lost an Australian icon and superstar.

“Olivia Newton-John was a much-loved household name in Australia way before she made it big with Grease.

“She was a dear friend as we were the same age and crossed paths many times. She will be missed deeply,” the Australian-born theatre director, co-founder and artistic director of KLPac said.

For some fans, it was her songs that made an impact.

Newton-John had sold more than 100 million albums and gave us hits such as Physical, Hopelessly Devoted To You, Twist Of Fate and I Honestly Love You. Anne Marie Cheong, co-owner of Crossroads Records in Petaling Jaya, said Newton-John’s music is timeless.

“At our record shop, people always come in and ask for her albums. Today’s sad news of Olivia’s death means it will be more poignant when we put on her version of Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain in the shop,” said Cheong.

For TV, radio and social media personality Fiqrie, he was first introduced to Newton-John’s music by his father who was a fan of Grease.“The music video for Physical is a phenomenon that lives on until today, over 40 years later in the recent works of Dua Lipa.

“Her charity causes for women with breast cancer have helped many going through the same struggles,” Fiqrie said.

Newton-John first battled breast cancer in 1992. In 2018, she revealed she was again battling cancer – her third diagnosis.

On social media, Malaysian netizens also mourned the loss of Newton-John.

“Nothing hurts more than when the people who coloured your childhood start passing away one by one. Rest in peace Olivia Newton-John,” said @elisataufik.

“I think I was six when I first saw Grease and when Olivia Newton-John whips out the leather outfit at the end, I started spazzing out,” said @nazim_masnawi.

“Thank you @olivianj for capturing and expressing my youthful dreams through your songs. No one else with a voice like yours,” tweeted Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh, adding that she loves Newton-John’s songs such as I Honestly Love You, Hopelessly Devoted To You and Summer Nights.

Hollywood celebrities also took to social media to pay tribute to Newton-John.

Her Grease co-star Travolta said she “made all of our lives so much better”.

“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!,” Travolta wrote in an Instagram post.

After the success of Grease, Travolta and Newton-John reunited one more time for the 1983 romantic comedy, Two Of A Kind.Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn tweeted that Newton-John was his first real crush.

“Really sad to hear about the passing of Olivia Newton-John. My first real crush as a kid.

“I loved Grease & her music,” Gunn wrote, adding that he bought and lived in a house Newton-John owned in Malibu, California.

Another Australian icon Kylie Minogue said Newton-John was an inspiration to her.

“Since I was 10 years old, I have loved and looked up to Olivia Newton-John. And I always will,” Minogue wrote on Instagram.