Olivia Newton John's Surviving Husband John Easterling Holds On To His Promise Of Love 'Until The End Of Time'

Aug 25, 2023

Beloved actress and hugely popular singer Olivia Newton-John passed away on Aug. 8, 2022, at the age of 73, leaving her family, friends and many fans devastated. She left behind a daughter, a sister and brother, nieces and nephews and the “love of her life,” her husband, John Easterling. The two shared a bond like no other and became partners in life, love and activism.

Newton-John was born on Sept. 26, 1948, in England, before moving with her family to Australia when she was five years old. She began her career in the entertainment industry as a singer in the early 1970s, releasing records that did well enough to earn some of her singles a place near the top of the music charts but not quite enough to make her a household name. 

Superstardom would come when she was cast in the 1978 musical “Grease” opposite John Travolta. Newton-John’s portrayal of an innocent Australian student pining for Travolta’s Danny Zuko was a hit, breaking records at the time it was released and securing critical and commercial success. This success was due in part to the film’s soundtrack, which included a few fair numbers with Newton-John, including “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” “Summer Nights,” and “You’re The One That I Want.” 

While her romantic life suffered swings and misses much like her career, she hit the love jackpot with her second husband, Easterling, whom she married in 2008.

Since she passed away in 2022, Easterling went on to remember her late wife on various occasions and interviews, even revealing their vows to each other that transcend life and death. 

At every public appearance, Newton-John and Easterling appeared very much in love. They were seen on the red carpet regularly with old friend John Travolta as well as at charity events. For the lovebirds, the match was one of minds and heart, particularly as Easterling was a natural health businessman and Newton-John was struggling with her own health battles.

Newton-John also credited Easterling with helping her fight cancer and said in 2019: 

“My husband hands me all these herbs every morning and makes me a green algae drink. He also gave her medicinal cannabis that he grows … and makes … into liquid for me. I take drops maybe four to five times a day.”

In announcing his wife’s death, Easterling described Newton-John as “a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years” before urging the public to donate to her cancer research cause. 

And just two days after Newton-John’s passing, Easterling posted a heartfelt tribute to his late wife. 

“Our love for each other transcends our understanding. Every day we expressed our gratitude for this love that could be so deep, so real, 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,” he wrote. “It is only the grace of God that has allowed me to share the depth and passion of her being for so long. In her most difficult times she always had the spirit, the humor, and the will power to move things into the light. Even now as her soul soars, the pain and holes in my heart are healed with the joy of her love and the light that shines forward.”

On Newton-John’s birthday in 2022, Easterling shared a fond memory of the first time they celebrated her birthday together. They had gone on a boat trip in the Bahamas that ended with an impromptu wildlife encounter. 

“As the dolphins led us over the gorgeous aqua water, under the rainbow towards the lighthouse, we both recognized the fingerprints of the supernatural were all over this – and that’s the way we lived our life. Every day with Olivia there was a hint of magic and every day with Olivia was a bit of the supernatural,” he wrote.

Nearly six months after her passing, Easterling and Newton-John’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, sat down with The Today Show’s Hoda Kotb. In the interview, Easterling speaks tenderly about his lost love, with tears in his eyes and struggling not to cry. He shared that while she was no longer with them, he often felt her presence, usually “late at night, early in the morning.” 

“I’ll just be walking around the house, or throwing the ball for the dogs and just speak to her out loud,” he said as throwback footage showed Newton-John playing with her dog in the grass outdoors. 

He said certain words of consolation had helped him through the early days of his grief. He recounted:

“A guy I was flying with said, ‘You know, John, when you’re lucky enough to have found your true soul mate, and you share a heart, when one passes, the other has the obligation to live life for both.’ And that was very empowering and very powerful for me, and, you know, and gave a way forward.” 

In an interview with People Magazine, Easterling talked fondly about her late wife. He confessed that “things aren’t easy” but he has to “just dig.” 

“Olivia was able to never lose sight of the good things. Love is everywhere,” he shared. In commemoration of their would-have-been 15th wedding anniversary on June 21, 2023, Easterling traveled to Pero to hold a private ceremony with her ashes on the same spot they said “I Do” in 2008. 

Per Easterling, the trip to Peru was an enlightening one: “It lightened my heart and created a very strong focus forward. I had 15 years with this extraordinary human being. That experience itself is worth a lifetime.”

Easterling also recalled a particular moment in time in the mid-2000s when they were both working in an environmental non-profit organization. 

“She walked out onstage singing ‘Grace and Gratitude,’ and people around me were crying,” he recalls. “It hit me straight in the heart: She’s a healer,” Easterling remembered. 

Since then, Easterling and Newton-John have been involved in more non-profit and charitable organizations and foundations. Among these is the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, which continues to research life-saving cancer techniques using the efficacy of medicinal plants. 

Easterling will then join their stepdaughter Lattanzi in Melbourne for the Olivia’s Walk for Wellness to raise funds for the said foundation and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre.

Easterling’s commitment to Newton-John did not fade even though she passed away. In fact, he reiterated in the same interview that he still holds on to his promise of love for her. 

“The commitment Olivia and I had was that we would love each other forever or until the end of time, whichever came last. We’re still in that time frame,” he shared.

What can you say about Olivia Newton-John and John Easterling’s vows to each other? Isn’t it romantic? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other Olivia Newton-John fans!