Olivia Newton-John to have state funeral in Australia: ‘It will be another concert’

AFP

Music and film star Olivia Newton-John will have a state funeral in her adopted country of Australia, officials announced Thursday.

The protagonist of the musical Grease (1978), born in the United Kingdom and raised in Australia, passed away on Monday (8) at her residence in California. The cause of death has not been revealed, but the 73-year-old artist has spent three decades battling breast cancer.

The Prime Minister of the Australian state of Victoria, Dan Andrews, said the actress’ family accepted the offer of a state funeral that “will be much more of a concert than a funeral”. “It will be a fitting celebration of such a rich and generous life,” she said. The memorial date has not yet been set.

The widower John Easterling published this Thursday, on social media, a tribute to the artist and thanked fans for the “vast ocean of love and support” after her death.

“She was the bravest woman I ever met,” he said. “In her most difficult moments, she always had the spirit, humor and willpower to lighten things up.”

Newton-John’s niece, Totti Goldsmith, told an Australian newspaper that her aunt was in a lot of pain and had gone downhill in recent days. According to the young woman, the artist was using cannabis oil to control the pain, but it was no longer working as before.

“It really helped her, but then it wasn’t enough,” Goldsmith said, adding that her aunt “really struggled with a lot of pain.” “It wasn’t just the cancer that got her, it was other complications, being in a hospital and having a very susceptible immune system. She had secondary infections. It really went down in the last five, six days.”