The Chicks paid tribute to the late Olivia Newton-John over the weekend, performing a live cover of ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’.
The band played the classic song – performed by Newton-John’s character Sandy in the 1978 film Grease – during their Washington state show at the Gorge Amphitheater on Saturday (August 13). Before performing it, lead singer Natalie Maines paid homage to Newton-John, who died last week, in a speech.
“We lost a worldwide sweetheart last week: Olivia Newton-John,” she began. “I thought I was Olivia Newton-John from, like, four to 12 [years old], and then I only wished I was Olivia Newton-John. So we worked up today at soundcheck a little Olivia Newton-John song.”
Take a listen to The Chicks’ spin on the song below:
And watch Newton-John’s original performance:
Newton-John died on August 8 following a lengthy battle with breast cancer. She was 73 years old.
Tributes poured in over the following days, with notable ones including those from the actress-singer’s peers like Kylie Minogue, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Dionne Warwick.
Actress Rebel Wilson said it had been “such a blessing” to know Newton-John, while Mariah Carey called her “one of the kindest, most generous people”. Australian radio presenter Jackie ‘O’ Henderson became emotional on air as she told her co-host, Kyle Sandilands, that “she was literally my idol growing up”.
John Travolta, who played Danny opposite Newton-John in Grease, wrote on Instagram: “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. 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!”
Later, Newton-John’s husband, John Easterling, recognised the strength of their union in a heartfelt post on social media. “Every day we expressed our gratitude for this love that could be so deep, so real, so natural,” Easterling wrote. “We never had to ‘work’ on it. She was the most courageous woman I’ve ever known.”
