August 9, 2022
John Travolta Posts Farewell Message to Olivia Newton-John at Insta
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
John Travolta marked the passing of his "Grease" screen partner, Olivia Newton-John, with a heartfelt Instagram post he signed with "Your Danny, your John!"
"My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better," Travolta posted. "Your impact was incredible. I love you so much."
"We will see you down the road and we will all be together again," the post continued. "Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever!"
Newton-John passed away after a battle with cancer on Aug. 8, at the age of 73.
"Travolta and Newton-John first came together while portraying Sandy and Danny in the iconic 1978 musical 'Grease,' " US Magazine detailed. "The two characters fall in love during summer vacation and have to adjust to life together when Sandy suddenly transfers to Danny's school."
The musical was an unprecedented box office success, and its "soundtrack album landed as the second best-selling record of the year in the U.S.," the article noted.
The two shared the screen once again in 1983, starring in the John Herzfeld romcom "Two of a Kind."
US recalled that Travolta told the magazine in 2019 that he and Newton-John had remained close throughout the years, saying, "If I go to see her in her show, we go backstage and hang out," and adding that when he saw her "personally, we usually have dinner and catch up."
Newton-John had survived two earlier bouts with breast cancer, US detailed, one in 1992 and one in 2013. She was diagnosed a third time in 2017, but remained upbeat, telling US in 2019, "I feel lucky that I'm experiencing it for a third time, you know? You have to find the silver lining; there's good in every bad situation."
Even before her star turn with Travolta in "Grease," the Australian-born singer had conquered the U.S. charts with "I Honestly Love You," which hit the No. 1 spot in 1974, followed by "Have You Never Been Mellow," which also took the top spot in 1975.
She topped the U.S. charts again with "You're the One That I Want," from the "Grease" soundtrack, before taking the top spot twice more with "Magic" in 1980 and "Physical" in 1981.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
