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John Travolta Finally Speaks on Olivia Newton-John’s Passing
When Olivia Newton-John passed away on August 8, 2022, the world mourned not only a pop icon but a woman whose kindness and courage inspired millions. Yet for John Travolta, her Grease co-star and lifelong friend, the loss was deeply personal — a wound that time has yet to heal.
“Olivia wasn’t just my co-star. She was my sister, my confidant, my Sandy,” Travolta said quietly in a recent interview with People. “From the moment we met, there was an unspoken connection. We trusted each other completely — both on-screen and off.”
Their chemistry in the 1978 classic Grease became cinematic legend. Fans have long speculated about the spark between them, but both insisted their friendship ran deeper than romance. “We respected each other too much,” Travolta once told E! News. “When you love someone that deeply, you don’t need to complicate it. We knew what we had.”
When news broke of Olivia’s death after a decades-long battle with breast cancer, Travolta was among the first to post a heartfelt tribute. “My dearest Olivia,” he wrote on Instagram, “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.”
Now, over two years later, Travolta has opened up more fully about that day. “It was like losing part of myself,” he admitted. “She had this light — even in her hardest moments, she radiated grace. I remember speaking with her a few months before she passed. She told me, ‘John, I’m at peace. Don’t be sad for me.’ That was Olivia — always thinking of others.”
Fellow friend and singer Barry Gibb, who recorded with Olivia in the 1980s, echoed those sentiments: “Olivia had a soul unlike anyone else. John and she had this rare, pure friendship. You could feel it whenever they looked at each other.”
Travolta also revealed that he revisited Grease after her passing — something he hadn’t done in years. “I couldn’t finish it,” he said. “When she sings ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You,’ it hit me all over again — how lucky we were to capture that kind of magic.”
Though he remains private about his grief, Travolta says he finds comfort in knowing Olivia’s legacy endures — through her music, her films, and the cancer foundation she built to help others. “She taught me to lead with love,” he said. “And that’s what I try to do, every day.”
For millions, they will forever be Danny and Sandy — dancing under the summer sky, forever young, forever in love. For John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John will always be something far greater: a part of his heart that will never fade.
