'It’s too soon': Olivia Newton-John's husband and daughter will NOT attend fundraiser hosted in honor of singer
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: The grieving husband and daughter of Olivia Newton-John are unlikely to attend a fundraiser to be hosted in her honor the following month. The renowned actress passed away on August 8 following a 30-year battle with breast cancer. Chloe Lattanzi, her only child, and her devoted husband John Easterling, whom she wed in 2008, survived her. In Newton's honor, a fundraising event called Walk for Wellness will take place in September to support the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre. Although it will be held in Melbourne, Australia, where Newton-John was raised, the event will also be streamed online so that supporters from all over the world can attend.
According to Aceshowbiz, Newton-John’s niece Tottie Goldsmith said, “I don’t think John and Chloe are going to make it. It’s too hard for them at the moment; it’s too soon. But we’ve got Toby Newton-John, her brother, coming down, my sister coming down – all the family that are on the ground here (in Australia), and all the people who loved her. It’s going to be really powerful and really beautiful.”
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Tottie, best known as a member of the pop group 'Chantoozies,' added, "Chloe and John need to grieve privately, as you can imagine. Getting on a plane or flying out here... would be chaotic for them. They just want to be in their hearts and their soul and go through this like normal people, but we'll definitely be doing (the charity walk) for everyone in love with her. We are going to keep her legacy alive if it's the last thing I do. The walk is going to be beautiful. She loved dogs so there's going to be loads of dogs. We want to encourage this walk all over the world."
Everyone who has met Olivia knows she'll be there in spirit. She also confirmed plans were in place for the actress' state funeral in Victoria, but she can't announce anything yet as the plans are still ‘fluid.’ Newton-John passed away at her California home earlier this month at the age of 73. The vocalist received a breast cancer diagnosis in 1992 at the age of 44. However, her Breast cancer reemerged in 2013 and 2017.
She spent 30 years documenting her harrowing struggle with the sickness, her therapies, and her determination to live. Earlier, Olivia's husband announced her death online. He said about the actress, "Our love for each other transcends our understanding. Every day we expressed our gratitude for this love that could be so deep, so real, and so natural. We never had to 'work' on it. We were in awe of this great mystery and accepted the experience of our love as past, present and forever."