Initially, Newton-John cemented an image as a sweet young singer with country twang, making her American TV debut on 'The Dean Martin Show' in 1972. She decided to enter a singing contest in her native Australia at just 15 years old, belting out the Broadway classic "Everything's Coming Up Roses" - a performance that helped her not only win the competition, but seal her superstar fate. "He invited me up one night and I started singing along with him and it kind of went from there." "I'd just sit there next to the guy who was singing on stage," she recalled to O'Donnell. "But I was always dressing up, and doing shows, and singing and writing songs and poetry all the time… I loved to sing."Ī turning point came when she was hanging out in her brother-in-law's coffee shop. "I don't know if wanting to be a performer was a conscious thing," Newton-John explained on 'The Rosie O'Donnell Show' in 1998. But while the Britain-born, Australia-raised singer knew she had a passion for performing, she initially did not pursue it professionally. In fact, Warwick served as an early inspiration for Newton-John, who cited her along with singers Joan Baez and Nina Simone as a few of the vocal powerhouses she looked up to as a child herself. She will be missed dearly."Ī post shared by John Travolta John shared a similar sentiment, calling Newton-John "a beautiful voice and a warm and loving friend," while her Grease co-star John Travolta gushed, "Your impact was incredible." Singer Dionne Warwick said Newton-John simply was "One of the nicest people I had the pleasure of recording and performing with." "Her music both on and off the screen will be forever cherished by our community. "Olivia Newton-John was a beloved artist and an inspiration to many," Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. Mariah Carey - who was also influenced by Newton-John as a little girl - remembered getting the chance to perform with the star in Australia, calling her "one of the kindest, most generous and lovely people I've ever met." And, I always will," the singer Kylie Minogue wrote on Twitter. "Since I was 10 years old, I have loved and looked up to Olivia Newton-John. In her wake, Newton-John leaves behind a world of admirers inspired by her fearlessness, talent and longevity. (In addition to "Physical," she took home trophies for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for "I Honestly Love You" in 1975, and Best Country Vocal Performance, Female for "Let Me Be There" in 1974.) What's more, Olivia Newton-John won four GRAMMYs and received 12 GRAMMY nominations overall. 1 hits, 14 gold albums and sales north of 100 million copies. "Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer," a statement from her husband, John Easterling, read.įor Newton-John, the numbers speak for themselves: 5 No. 8 when the superstar died at 73 in California. īut the success of "Physical" was only one impressive chapter of a generation-spanning career, cut short on Aug. It stayed there for 10 weeks, making it the single the biggest hit of the 1980s. The scheme worked, and "Physical" shot to No. Then, a plan was hatched: If a video was released depicting Newton-John exercising, then the lyrics could be interpreted in a more G-rated fashion. It's just too much.' And he said, 'Well, it's too late love, it's taken off everywhere.'" And then when I recorded it, I started to panic, and I called my manager and said, 'I think I've gone too far with this song. "I remember listening to it and going, 'That's a really great song,' and didn't really tune in to what it was about. "Today the lyrics are like a lullaby, don't you reckon? But in those days…," the singer lightheartedly explained of the sexually charged sentiment of the track. She was referring to the tremendous success of "Physical," the blockbuster song that made her one of the biggest pop stars of her time and won a GRAMMY for Video of the Year in 1982. "It's one of my most successful records, and I never would've dreamt that could've happened." "Very often the things that you're most afraid of are the things that you really need to just go for," Dame Olivia Newton-John said in a 2021 interview with Today.
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