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John Easterling’s Tribute to His Wife at the Olivia Newton-John Memorial
When Olivia Newton-John passed away in August 2022, the world lost not just a music legend, but a radiant soul who brought light wherever she went. At her state memorial in Melbourne, her husband John Easterling stood before the audience — his voice trembling, his heart laid bare — to deliver one of the most moving tributes ever spoken in her honor.
John, who married Olivia in 2008, described their love as “a kind of magic I’d never known before.” He recalled their first meeting in the mid-’90s, and how, years later, fate brought them back together. “When I met Olivia again,” he said softly, “I realized that I had found my true home. She wasn’t just the love of my life — she was the light of my life.”
As the room filled with quiet tears, John spoke of their private world — the laughter they shared on their ranch, their long walks in nature, their deep spiritual connection. “Olivia was a healer,” he said. “She didn’t just heal through her music or her words. She healed through her presence. When she smiled at you, you felt seen. When she sang, the world felt safe.”
But his words also revealed the pain of watching the woman he loved face years of cancer treatment with unshakable grace. “Olivia never once let fear define her,” he told the audience. “Even in the darkest moments, she would turn to me and say, ‘Let’s focus on love.’ And she meant it. She truly believed that love could heal anything.”
John shared how, during her final months, they would sit together and watch the sunrise, holding hands in silence. “She’d say, ‘Look at that light, Johnny — that’s how I want to be remembered.’ And she is that light. She’s in every ray that touches the ocean, every song that lifts a heart.”
In a voice breaking with emotion, he revealed that he still speaks to her every day. “I feel her with me all the time,” he said. “When I walk through our garden, when I see the flowers she planted, I can hear her laughter in the wind. She hasn’t left — she’s just gone ahead.”
John also praised Olivia’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, for her strength, calling her “her mother’s greatest gift.” Together, they continue to honor Olivia’s legacy through her Olivia Newton-John Foundation, which supports cancer research and holistic healing — causes Olivia devoted her later life to.
As the memorial closed with a video of Olivia singing “Grace and Gratitude,” John looked up toward the screen, tears shining in his eyes. “My darling Olivia,” he whispered, “you showed us all what true love looks like — selfless, eternal, and pure.”
It was a farewell not of finality, but of devotion. In that moment, everyone in the room — and every fan around the world — felt what John Easterling felt: that Olivia Newton-John’s light will never fade, for it burns eternally in the hearts she touched.
