Olivia Newton-John, the Australian singer whose breathy voice and wholesome beauty made her one of the biggest pop stars of the ’70s and charmed generations of viewers in the blockbuster movie “Grease,” died on Monday, according to a statement from her husband. She was 73.

“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,” her husband, John Easterling, wrote in a statement on the singer’s verified Instagram account. “Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.”

The singer revealed in September 2018 that she was treating cancer at the base of her spine. It was her third cancer diagnosis, following bouts with breast cancer in the early ’90s and in 2017.

Thanks to a string of country and soft-rock hits, Newton-John was already a popular singer by the late 1970s. But her co-starring role opposite John Travolta in 1978’s “Grease,” arguably the most popular movie musical of all time, lifted her to a new level of stardom.

 Although she had little acting experience (and turned 29 during filming), Newton-John gave an indelible performance as Sandy, a sweet-natured Australian transfer student who romances Travolta’s alpha greaser Danny at a Southern California high school in the 1950s.

Their onscreen chemistry as mismatched lovebirds who undergo final-act makeovers to win each others’ hearts – she ditches her frilly dresses for heels, leather, spandex and a cigarette – anchored the movie and inspired repeat viewings by legions of fans.

 “I don’t think anyone could have imagined a movie would go on almost 40 years and would still be popular and people would still be talking to me about it all the time and loving it,” Newton-John told CNN in 2017. “It’s just one of those movies. I’m very lucky to have been a part of it. It’s given so many people pleasure.”

Newton-John sang on three of the movie’s biggest hits: the duets “You’re The One That I Want” and “Summer Nights” with Travolta, and her swoony solo ballad, “Hopelessly Devoted To You.”

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/08/entertainment/olivia-newton-john-obit/index.html

For me, she's a name I recognize, but I've never seen Grease and I couldn't tell you any of her songs.

When famous people die, my biggest take away is that I am really out of touch with anything Americans consider cultural touchstones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t64OXKVGvk


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91YgAIVSfbs


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBWSkfAegXA


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaFCTQjzSwA


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmFB5C5SddY

There's more, but these are her more well known ...

Ok I've heard the first one. I haven't heard any of the other ones before to my recollection.

Those were her top(est) hits ....
Not counting "Summer Nights", or any random other song that charted from Grease ...

Did Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta ever date? When 'Grease' stars revealed what really happened on set

"We were both with other people when we were filming and I think, respectfully, it just didn’t happen," she explained.

"So I think it was just as well that it didn’t happen. But we’re still great friends."

John Travolta himself has since spoken about the real-life chemistry he had with Olivia Newton-John.

In 2019, when the pair were filming a Q&A session, his answer was a firm "yes!" when asked if there was sexual tension on set.

“I think you saw that in ‘You’re the One That I Want,'” Travolta said, referring to the highly charged duet Sandy and Danny performed at the end of Grease: “There’s almost resolve [of] that tension right there.”

But another cast member from the movie revealed that just because they didn't date, it didn't stop John Travolta having a huge crush on Olivia Newton-John.


https://youtu.be/itRFjzQICJU

Didi Conn, better known as the character Frenchy in Grease, revealed the Saturday Night Fever star had the hots for his co-star.

“Oh yeah, [he did like her]," she told the Daily Mail in 2018.

"What was so much fun was that most of us were older than the characters we were playing so we just stayed in character all day long. So there was an ongoing improvisation happening so the flirting… was fine."

The actress also made an incredible revelation; that one of John and Olivia's on-screen kisses was 100% real.

She explained: "Randal Kleiser, the director, thought: 'Maybe I should make an alternative ending', and they fly up into the sky and instead of looking back, Danny looks at Sandy and pulls her closer to him and gives her the juiciest kiss and Olivia."

"You see for a moment she's surprised and then she responds. It's juicy and it's great"

"They weren't acting in that moment, it was like he had his chance and he was going to take it. It was real, it really was."