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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Connie Rusk

Olivia Newton-John shared brave view on dying in one of her haunting final interviews

Olivia Newton-John bravely spoke about how she "looked forward" to dying in one of her final haunting interviews.

The Grease icon died "peacefully" aged 73 at her ranch in Southern California on Monday morning, after a three decade battle with breast cancer.

In an interview last year Olivia spoke about contemplating death, while acknowledging it was difficult to do so because dying is "extremely personal".

"We all know we're going to die, but I think we spend our lives in denial", she said on Sarah Grynberg's A Life of Greatness podcast.

Olivia Newton-John bravely spoke about how she "looked forward" to dying in one of her final haunting interviews (A Life of Greatness)

"It's extremely personal so it's hard to put into words. I feel that we are all one thing and I've had experiences with spirits and spirit life. I believe there is something that happens.

"I hope the energies of the people you love will be there. I think all the love will be there. I'm sort of looking forward to that, not now, but when it happens."

Announcing Olivia's death in a statement posted to Instagram on Monday, her husband John Easterling wrote: "We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time."

Dame Olivia’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi also paid tribute to her mother with a selection of images on Instagram.

Olivia spoke about contemplating death in an interview last year (A Life of Greatness)
Dame Olivia’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi paid tribute to her mother (Instagram)

Olivia is best known for her starring role in the 1978 film Grease, in which she starred opposite John Travolta as Sandy.

Aside from her showbusiness career, the actress became became a prominent breast cancer campaigner, after being given the first of three cancer diagnoses in 1992.

Following her initial battle with the disease, she had a partial mastectomy and reconstruction.

She remained cancer-free until a recurrence in 2013, but revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer for the third time in three decades in September 2018.

(YouTube / VideosMusicaVEVO)

At the time, she told Australian news programme Sunday Night that doctors had found a tumour in her lower back in 2017.

The singer said she was treating the illness “naturally” and was using cannabis oil made from marijuana her husband grows in California to alleviate the pain.

“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” Mr Easterling said in his Instagram post.

“Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”

Olivia's husband added in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Dame Olivia’s foundation.

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