Dame Olivia Newton-John’s husband John Easterling has spoken out for the first time since her death, to praise the ‘courageous’ star following her lengthy health battle.
The British-Australian actress, who was best known for playing Sandy in 1978’s Grease, died on Monday at her home in California aged 73.
It came after Dame Olivia had fought a 30-year battle with breast cancer and dedicated her life to raising awareness about the disease.
Her beloved and devastated husband John, 70, has now shared a tribute to the Hollywood icon with heartfelt words about their marriage.
‘Our love for each other transcends our understanding,’ he captioned a photo of him and Dame Olivia together.
‘Every day we expressed our gratitude for this love that could be so deep, so real, so natural. We never had to ‘work’ on it.
‘We were in awe of this great mystery and accepted the experience of our love as past, present and forever.’
John continued: ‘At Olivia’s deepest essence she was a healer using her mediums of song, of words, of touch.
‘She was the most courageous woman I’ve ever known. Her bandwidth for genuinely caring for people, for nature and all creatures almost eclipses what is humanely possible.
‘It is only the grace of God that has allowed me to share the depth and passion of her being for so long.’
John went on to praise the way Dame Olivia handled the ‘difficult times’, remembering her ‘spirit, humour, and [her] will power to move things into the light’.
‘Even now as her soul soars, the pain and holes in my heart are healed with the joy of her love and the light that shines forward,’ he said.
Signing off the touching post, John concluded: ‘Our family deeply appreciates the vast ocean of love and support that has come our way.
‘Onward Ho, John Easterling.’
Hours before, Dame Olivia’s daughter Chloe Latanzzi – from the actress’ previous marriage with actor Matt Lantanzzi – had also paid tribute to the screen icon, describing her as an ‘angel on Earth’.
Dame Olivia’s family have accepted an offer for the actress to receive a state funeral in Australia, where she lived for the majority of her life, with her niece Totti Goldsmith saying ‘Australia needs it’.
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