‘Every day with her was magic’: John Easterling pays moving tribute to late wife Olivia Newton-John
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: John Easterling remembered his beloved wife Olivia Newton-John as he paid her a moving tribute on Saturday, January 28. The ‘Grease’ star tragically died on August 8, 2022, at the age of 73 after being diagnosed with cancer three times.
Easterling, 70, described the Grammy winner as “the most courageous and compassionate woman” as he reflected on their love at the 20th anniversary G'Day USA Arts Gala in Los Angeles, according to The Mirror. The event, which was also attended by Newton-John's daughter Chloe Lattanzi, also included a musical tribute by Aussie musician Delta Goodrem.
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During the event, the businessman, who was with Newton-John when she died, opened up about their love story. "Olivia and I unexpectedly, madly, deeply, forever fell in love in the Amazon rainforest," he revealed to the riveted crowd, according to DailyMail. "For the past 15 years, I've been blessed to share the depth and the passion of her being. Every day with Olivia was a bit of magic. Every day with Olivia was supernatural."
As Olivia was honored at the Gala, Easterling, who's the founder and president of the Amazon Herb Company, remembered how his wife gave her name to cancer research centers in Australia and the US. "There's an old adage that like attracts like, and Olivia knew that her voice and her huge profile of talents were a gift," the Jupiter, Florida native said, before adding, "Her legacy continues as a joyful, healing spirit who is continuously focused on moving things, in her words, 'into the love and the light."' The grieving husband also described Newton-John as having a calming capacity to "genuinely care about other people."
Easterling and Newton-John reportedly first met in late 1993 and tied the knot in June 2008 in an Incan spiritual ceremony in Peru. The spiritual wedding was followed up with a legal ceremony nine days later on Jupiter Island in Florida. Before Easterling, the ‘Xanadu’ star was married to Matt Lattanzi, with whom she had her only child, Chloe.
Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer back in 1992 but she kept it away from her fans. She finally opened up about the disease in 2017, after she was diagnosed with it for the third time. At the time, the late star also revealed she had a previous recurrence of the disease four years earlier. She stated that her third diagnosis had metastasized, spread to her bones, and progressed to Stage IV.