Olivia Newton-John’s Last Photo Posted Before Her Death Was An Ode To Love For Her 'Compassionate' Husband

Jul 31, 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,” 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 5 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 fair few 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.

Days before her death, Newton-John posted an endearing photo of her and her husband on Instagram, making it her last uploaded photo on her account before the saddening announcement of her death. Keep on reading to learn more about Newton-John, her relationship with Easterling and what the photo was about.

Newton-John and Easterling had been friends for years but only fell in love after a trip to the Amazon. They went public with their relationship in 2007. A year later, they were married on a Peru mountaintop in a secret Incan ceremony before returning to the U.S. for another secret beachfront ceremony in Florida on June 30, 2008. They then shocked friends and family with the big marriage reveal during a July 4th barbeque.

“My family was surprised,” Olivia told People Magazine, “but my daughter knew – I told my daughter,” she said, adding the reason for all the secrecy was because “it was the one thing I could keep private. That’s how we wanted it because my life is so public.”

Eight years later, she was still gushing about her husband, as she said: “He’s incredibly smart and compassionate. He says yes to everything, he says yes to life!”

At every public appearance, Newton-John and Easterling appeared very much in love. They were seen on the red carpet regularly with her old friend Travolta as well as at charity events.

There’s no denying that Newton-John and Travolta had a beautiful friendship over the years. So when Newton-John passed away on Aug. 8, 2022, Travolta went to Instagram to share some sweet words about his late friend. He uploaded a stunning photograph of the late actress with the caption:

“My dearest Olivia, 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. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”

Unbeknownst to many, Newton-John and Easterling developed a passion for holistic medicine, primarily because of the health endeavor that the former was suffering at the time. 

In 1992 at 42 years old, Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer. After overcoming it, she discovered it had returned in 2013. In 2017, the cancer progressed to stage four and spread to Newton-John’s bones.

The duo founded the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund in 2020, aimed at supporting research into plant medicine to treat cancer. This was in addition to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Center that opened in Melbourne, Australia, in 2008, for which she helped raise funds to build. 

Newton-John credited Easterling with helping her fight the disease, as she told People 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.”

Just days before her passing, Newton-John had posted a photo of the two of them in a sweet embrace on Instagram, captioned only “#flashbackfriday” followed by a heart emoji.

In announcing his wife’s death, Easterling described Newton-John as “a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years,” urging the public to donate to her cancer research cause, because he knew that’s what she would have wanted.

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.” 

What can you say about Olivia Newton-John and John Easterling’s love for each other? Isn’t it lovely that she was fully supported by Easterling throughout her whole inspiring journey? Let us know, and pass this on to family and friends and other Olivia Newton-John fans!