Olivia Newton-John, who sang some of the biggest hits of the 1970s and 1980s while recasting her virginal girl-next-door image as a spandex-clad vixen – a transformation mirrored in miniature by her main role in “Grease,” one of the most popular movie musicals of its era — died Monday at his Southern California ranch. She was 73.
The death was announced by her husband, John Easterling.
Although never a critical favorite, Ms. Newton-John racked up No. 1 hits, chart-topping albums and four records that sold more than two million copies each. More than anything, she was likable.
In the earlier phase of her career, this Anglo-Australian singer captivated listeners with a high, elastic, vibrato-warmed voice that blended amiably with the kind of swooning pop that in the mid-’70s often passed for country music.
Her performance in the charts clarified this blurring. She scored seven top 10 hits on Billboard’s Country chart, two of which were back-to-back No. 1 hits in 1974 and ’75. First came “I Honestly Love You,” an unashamedly heartfelt declaration co-written by Peter Allen and Jeff Barry, followed by “Have You Never Been Mellow,” part of a song written by the producer of many of her biggest albums, John Farrar.
“I Honestly Love You” also won two of the singer’s four Grammys, for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
A full obituary will be posted soon.
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