Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)

Subject: Obit: Olivia Newton-John, 1948-2022
From: Helen
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 08:01 PM

Olivia Newton-John , star of Grease and Grammy Award winning artist, dies aged 73

"She was involved in numerous charitable causes, serving as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme.

"Newton-John, whose sister died of brain cancer, became an advocate after her first bout with breast cancer and she established the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in her hometown of Melbourne."

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John, 1948-2022
From: rich-joy
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 08:31 PM

Kinda seems like a little of the light has gone from the world; she had such a beautiful, brilliant smile and of course did so much for charity and cancer awareness.

Used to watch her on Brian Henderson's "Bandstand" with her Bestie, Pat Carroll, and never realising she was just a tad older than me!!

Musically, for those who may have thought her "pretty but lightweight", watch this clip critiquing her singing performance using "Sam" in 1982 - by Fil from "Wings of Pegasus" YT channel,
entitled "THIS is the night when Olivia Newton John demonstrated the A-Z of vocal technique!!!" :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LRU4p-TNcY&t=2s


Vale, Livvy.

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: GerryM
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 11:17 PM

A bad ten days for Australian singers. Archie Roach, 30 July, age 66; Judith Durham, 5 August, age 79; Olivia Newton-John, 8 August, age 73.

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 03:53 AM

Oh no again! Too many sad days in the oast few :-(

RIP Olivia

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: GUEST,JoeG
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 04:32 AM

Very sad news indeed. Seemed to be a lovely person

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: GUEST,Rossey
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 12:22 PM

I'll always remember the earlier 70's Olivia, with the ex-Shadows collaborations 'If Not For You', 'Let Me be there', 'Banks of the Ohio', etc. In those days Olivia crossed over between pop, folk and country. Then came the 'Grease' and 'Physical' change of image. RIP, the music lives on.

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: fat B****rd
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 04:16 PM

I really enjoy the usual "Grease" stuff with JT. RIP Olivia.

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 01:47 AM

I have to confess that Olivia's music was not quite what I was listening to in the 70s/80s but by all accounts she was a lovely person with a connection to my area (Byron Bay region of New South Wales) and will be missed by many... also showed great poise and grace when seen in her TV appearances over here. Interesting that an ONJ appreciation thread was started on the Steve Hoffman Music Forum only in Feb 2019 and had already garnered over 7,000 comments before the news of yesterday...

Olivia Newton-John Appreciation Thread

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: Helen
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 02:54 AM

To be truthful, Tony, ONJ's music wasn't what I was listening to either. Her father Brin Newton-John was a professor at the Uni of Newcastle NSW and left a couple of years after I started studying there but I wasn't one of his students.

ONJ's philanthropic work is a great legacy as well as her music.

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 04:18 AM

+1 from me...

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: Helen
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 05:21 AM

Sorry Tony, I don't get it: "+1 from me..."

I'm probably missing something really obvious.

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 08:50 AM

Curious: no mention here, nor on the TV news coverage afaict this side of the pond, of ONJ's stint as guest singer in residence on Cliff Richard's weekly TV show in the seventies (on the Beeb, methinks). Any particular reason?

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: gillymor
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 11:52 AM

A friend of mine was the office manager of a 50k watt Country Music station in Northern Virginia back in the 70's and 80's and she was tasked with giving ONJ a tour of the facilities and she told me that Ms. Newton-John was one of the nicest individuals she'd ever met.

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: Newport Boy
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 12:03 PM

MaJoC the Filk wrote: Curious: no mention here, nor on the TV news coverage afaict this side of the pond, of ONJ's stint as guest singer in residence on Cliff Richard's weekly TV show in the seventies

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/aug/08/olivia-newton-john-grease-xanadu-cult-classics-cherished-by-fans

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 02:43 PM

Helen ... ""+1 from me..." means I second the above". ("My vote as well"). Or something. Gotta love internet shorthand...

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: Helen
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 02:52 PM

Tony, thanks for the explanation. I got the meaning, but I wasn't sure which bit of what I said that you were endorsing. LOL

gillymor, almost every article or TV news item I've seen has said the same thing, she was genuinely one of the nicest individuals people had ever met.

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 06:05 PM

I possibly knew the words of "Grease" better from my daughter and friends who played it incessantly, copied all the moves, etc! But so sorry to hear that Olivia has lost her fight with cancer. Younger than me....

Subject: RE: Obit: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
From: GUEST,Rossey
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 07:42 PM

Newport Boy, this is where one part of fame overrides another. Cliff Richard via his TV show, plus John Rostill, Bruce Welch, and John Farrar on the recording side, took her to a level of fame. I seem to be the only one here who remembers her more for the early 70's hits like Take Me Home Country Roads, If Not For You, Let Me Be There, Banks of the Ohio! Grease was the later blockbuster, but for a while she was the country/pop/folk crossover star. Eurovision was, well Eurovision, the UK coming second with an outclassed song, though Olivia performed it well.