John Travolta: how did Hollywood star pay tribute to Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John in Instagram post?

John Travolta has led tributes to his Grease co-star Dame Olivia Newton-John following news of her death on Monday (8 August).

Writing on Instagram, Travolta said that her “impact was incredible” and signed off his tribute to the actress as “your Danny”.

Dame Olivia died “peacefully” at her ranch in Southern California at the age of 73.

Her husband confirmed her death on social media. She was surrounded by family and friends, John Easterling said.

John Travolta’s tribute

Dame Olivia is best known for her starring role as Sandy in the 1978 film Grease, in which she appeared opposite Travolta, who played Danny Zuko.

He wrote on Instagram: “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better.

“Your impact was incredible. 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!”

Tributes to Dame Olivia

In a statement posted to Instagram, her husband John Easterling wrote: “We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”

Dame Olivia’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi paid tribute to her mother with a selection of images on Instagram.

The post included pictures of Ms Lattanzi as a baby as well as more showing the pair appearing to give interviews together.

Stockard Channing, who played fellow Pink Lady Betty Rizzo in the film, said Dame Olivia was “the essence of summer” in her own tribute.

She said in a statement to US media outlet People: “I don’t know if I’ve known a lovelier human being.

“Olivia was the essence of summer – her sunniness, her warmth and her grace are what always come to mind when I think of her.”

She added: “I will miss her enormously.”

The cast and crew of Grease the musical, currently playing at the Dominion Theatre on London’s West End, also paid tribute to Dame Olivia.

Following Monday night’s performance, a statement said: “Olivia Newton-John is an icon who has inspired countless young performers across the world, not least our company of Grease in the West End.

“We’d like to dedicate this evening’s performance and the rest of our run to Olivia’s memory and everything she represented.”

Actress Olivia Moore, who plays Sandy in the show, told the PA news agency it had been “surreal” to find out the news during the interval and later reveal it to audience members.

Ms Moore said: “She’s perfection.

“The way she performed Sandy, the way she was Sandy, is perfection and I definitely hold responsibility now and in making sure that I continue to wave that flag.”

Other Hollywood A-listers and collaborators have paid tribute to Dame Olivia including Kylie Minogue, Peter Andre, Dionne Warwick, James Gunn and Edgar Wright.

Who was Dame Olivia Newton-John?

Dame Olivia Newton-John was best known for her role as Sandy in Grease.

The soundtrack to Grease is one of the world’s best-selling albums of recorded music and features the two hit duets from Dame Olivia and Travolta: Summer Nights and You’re The One That I Want.

The latter also ranks as one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Olivia’s performance saw her nominated for multiple awards including two Golden Globes, and various other film accolades.

She was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 1981.

Aside from her hit role in the film, Dame Olivia was also a multi-platinum selling artist, with two singles and two albums having earned the certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The singer also represented the UK in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Long Live Love. She finished fourth in the competition held in Brighton, losing out to Abba, with their hit song Waterloo.

What had she said about her cancer fight?

Aside from her show business career, Dame Olivia became a prominent breast cancer campaigner, after being given the first of three cancer diagnoses in 1992.

Following her initial battle with the disease, she had a partial mastectomy and reconstruction.

She remained cancer-free until a recurrence in 2013, but revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer for the third time in three decades in September 2018.

At the time, she told Australian news programme Sunday Night that doctors had found a tumour in her lower back in 2017.

The singer said she was treating the illness “naturally” and was using cannabis oil made from marijuana her husband grows in California to alleviate the pain.

Her husband said in an Instagram post: “Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.

“Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”

Mr Easterling added that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Dame Olivia’s foundation.