Hollywood lost yet another legend yesterday when singer and actress Olivia Newton-John passed away at the age of 73 after a long struggle with cancer.
Naturally, an outpouring of loving tributes has followed, and among them has been actor John Travolta, who joined Newton-John on the project that launched her to superstardom, the film adaptation of Grease.
Travolta took to Instagram yesterday to pay tribute to his Grease costar, and it's left few dry eyes among fans of both figures. See his post below.
Along with a photo of Newton-John from during the era when they made Grease together, Travolta, who played the character of Danny Zuko in the film, wrote:
"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!"
Born in the UK and raised near Melbourne, Australia, Newton-John had already amassed a string of country and pop hits that had already made her a popular music artist in the 1970s.
But it was her co-starring role alongside Travolta as the character Sandy in Grease that made her a household name for decades to come. The film was the top grossing release of 1978 and has endured as a cultural touchstone ever since.
The breakout success of the film led to other film roles for Olivia Newton-John like the 1980 disco-kitsch musical Xanadu as well as an early 80s pop career, most notably with the iconic song "Physical," which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980 and became the biggest hit of the entire decade.
Newton-John's costar in the film that started it all was just one of myriad Hollywood figures to pay tribute to Newton-John, including Barbara Streisand, Madonna, Viola Davis and fellow Aussie Kylie Minogue.
But Travolta's seemed to be the one that most pulled on fans' heartstrings, and they were deeply moved by his words.
\u201cjohn travolta finishing off with \u2018your danny\u2019 under his post about olivia newton john has finished me i am bawling\u201d— shauna (@shauna) 1659989939
\u201cY'know, I friggin' love Grease.\n\nRIP to Olivia Newton-John. Here's her and John Travolta at a party in 2002 celebrating Grease's release on DVD.\u201d— Spencer Love (@Spencer Love) 1659987172
\u201cOhhhhh the caption on this post from John Travolta about Olivia Newton John\u2019s passing \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83e\ude79\u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83e\ude79\u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83e\ude79\u201d— Lucy Thackray (@Lucy Thackray) 1659989289
\u201cSobbing over John Travolta\u2019s Instagram post about Olivia Newton-John \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\u201d— Georgia Coan (@Georgia Coan) 1659989184
\u201cOne reason that Grease has endured is that it wasn't just filmgoers that loved the movie, the cast adored it, too. \n\nHere's when they reunited in 2002 to sing Summer Nights, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta picking up right where they left off. #RIP #OliviaNewtonJohn\u201d— Courtney Theriault (@Courtney Theriault) 1659988862
\u201cI was very sad upon hearing Dame Olivia Newton John had passed away. Then I read John Travolta\u2019s insta and now I might some therapy \ud83d\ude22 \n\nGoodnight icon. \ud83d\udc8b #RIPOliviaNewtonJohn\u201d— Alice Fearn (@Alice Fearn) 1659991761
\u201cThere was no need to make me cry \ud83d\ude25\ud83d\ude25\u2764\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f\u201d— sarah robinson (@sarah robinson) 1660038312
\u201cI love you both You\u2019ve had an incredible effect on our lives\u201d— Kenny Johnson (@Kenny Johnson) 1660023226
\u201cThe emotion in his words\u2026 much more than just a pretty face \ud83e\udd7a\u201d— Tejaswi | \u0924\u0947\u091c\u0938\u094d\u0935\u0940 | (@Tejaswi | \u0924\u0947\u091c\u0938\u094d\u0935\u0940 |) 1660038960
\u201cBrb crying \ud83d\ude2d\u201d— Mads (@Mads) 1659999587
Newton-John is survived by her daughter Chloe Lattanzi, who followed in her mother's footsteps to become a singer and actress
