Olivia Newton-John, wey die aged 73, begin her career as di sweetheart of country-flavoured pop.
All dat one change when she don black spandex for ‘Grease’, one of di most successful film musicals of all time.
Her new raunchy image reach di peak for her 1981 album, Physical.
But diagnosis of breast cancer make her move to quiet style and she devote more time to humanitarian causes.
Early life and music
Na on 26 September 1948 dem born di actress and singer in Cambridge. Her Welsh father bin be MI5 agent during World War II attached to di Enigma project at Bletchley Park.
Her mother na daughter of German Nobel laureate, Max Born, and she runaway with her family when di Nazis come into power in 1933.
For 1954 her father take post as a professor of German at di University of Melbourne and di family move to Australia.
As a child Newton-John nin develop interest with animals and bin get ambition to be a vet but she see say science no easy for school and abandon di idea.
Instead, she turn to music. She bin form a girl group with three school friends wey no too last long and dem bin dey perform for one coffee shop wey her sister boyfriend bin dey run.
Her breakthrough come for 1971 when she release a Bob Dylan-penned track, If Not For You, and e reach number seven for di UK charts and also feature on one album of di same name.
Another track from di album, ‘Banks of the Ohio’, bin also chart and dis country sound announce di future direction of her music.
But disappointment come dey when her second album, Olivia, fail to make impact, although a single, What is Life, make di UK Top 20.
Na di country-flavoured album “Let Me Be There’ naim finally break her into di lucrative US market. Dis single make her win Grammy for Best Female Country Vocalist.
For 1974 dem name her Country Music Association Female Vocalist of di Year, after tough competition from Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Tanya Tucker.
But dis bring backlash from US country fans, wey bin dey annoyed at her pop-style music but with di support of established country stars, dem eventually accept her.
By 1977 her career begin fail as she fail to find chart success with new material although a compilation album, ‘Olivia Newton-John’s Greatest Hits”, make number seven in di country charts.
How ‘Grease’ film make her blow?
Na for one meeting with producer Alan Carr naim e offer her di part of Sandy for di film version of di musical, Grease.
She worry say at age 28 she bin dey too old for di teenage role, so she insist on a screen test with John Travolta before accepting di part.
Dem come recast di character of Sandy as an expat Australian to accommodate her accent.
Dis film na di biggest box-office hit of 1978, and e give Newton-John three hit singles, ‘You’re The One That I Want, Hopelessly Devoted to You and Summer Nights as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
E also be a catalyst for change in both her image and her musical direction.
She appear on di cover of her next album, Totally Hot, dressed in black leather. E be her first US Top 10 album since 1975.
Di follow-up album, Physical, come be her most overtly sexual record, and many critics hail am as her best album. Di title track hold di Billboard number one spot for 10 weeks.
Tributes from Grease Stars and oda celebrities
Following di news of her death, many of fans, as well as famous figures from di world of entertainment don share heartfelt messages and memories.
Actress Stockard Channing – wey playe Rizzo in Grease – say: “I no know if I don know a lovelier human being.
“Olivia na di essence of summer – her sunniness, her warmth and her grace na wetin always come to mind when I think of her. I go miss her well-well.”
Singer Rod Stewart call her “di perfect lady, gorgeous, with great poise and with a certain Aussie sophistication”.
“Her spandex trousers in Grease na my inspiration for my ‘Da ya think I’m Sexy’ era,” im add, as e make reference to di iconic tight black outfit wey she wear for di film finale scene.
US television host Oprah Winfrey say her “positivity bin just dey infectious”. “You go dey missed, Olivia,” she write. “Here’s to di good times.”
Travolta her co-star for di ‘Grease’ film write on Instagram: “Your impact bin dey incredible. I love you so much. We go see you down di road and we go all be togeda again.”
“Yours from di first moment I see you and forever!” im add, signing off: “Your Danny, your John!”
Di film director Randal Kleiser say im don be friends with Newton-John for 40 years and “she never change, she always dey exactly di way evrione imagine her to be”. E tok.
Instead of flowers, di family say make pipo send donations to di Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund wey dey dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer in her memory.
She dey survived by her husband, John Easterling, daughter Chloe Lattanzi, sister, brother, nieces and nephews.
