Their characters were the backbone of the cultural phenomenon that was Grease and now the stars who played The Pink Ladies and T-Birds have paid tribute to their leading lady, Olivia Newton-John, following her death.
The Sandy Olsson actress passed away on Monday, August 9, from cancer and her former co-stars and friends were quick to express their sadness. The Danny Zuko to her Sandy, John Travolta, was quick to share a tribute on Instagram, writing: ""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!"
Leader of The Pink Ladies, Betty Rizzo, who on screen was dismissive of Olivia's goody-goody character, was played by Stockard Channing, who released a statement to People Magazine. She said: "I don't know if I've known a lovelier human being. Olivia was the essence of summer – her sunniness, her warmth and her grace are what always come to mind when I think of her." She added, "I will miss her enormously."
Read more: Olivia Newton-John's connections to Wales and how she found out about her Welsh roots
Fellow Pink Lady, Didi Conn, who played Frenchy in the hit 1978 musical, also paid tribute saying Olivia was “very special in my heart in many, many ways”.
Recalling their time on set together, she said: “She was such a humongous, big, big pop star. And her persona was of this beauty and well, let’s just say it, pure and sweet. In the movie we would call her Miss goody two shoes, you know. But simmering under that façade of innocence was a hot mama ready to come out…
"She tried on that costume the night we were filming at the drive-in, and nobody recognised her. All of a sudden, in these high red pumps and this tight outfit and big hair, and it was Olivia and she loved it… and we all loved her.”
Barry Pearl – who played Frenchy’s boyfriend, T-Bird Doody – fought back tears when discussing the death of his long-time friend on Australian TV. The 72-year-old, who kept in touch with Olivia for four decades, revealed what his last message to her was before she died.
He told Aussie breakfast hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon he’d heard from a colleague that Olivia’s health was deteriorating and that it “wasn’t going to be long” until she passed away.
"I took it upon myself to write to her, as we would occasionally share emails amongst each other - [with] the other Grease-er pals too.
"She would always sign her emails, 'With love and light, Olivia'.
"And I wrote to her - basically if you read between the lines she would be able to tell that I knew there was something going on - and I basically said that, 'On your journey forward, simply know that you, Olivia , are the love and the light'."
He added: "She just always exuded that positivity. Just the way she handled this journey with grace. Her heart was so big."
Fellow T-Bird Michael Tucci, who was Sonny, told E! News that Olivia "was so very special". "She was a treasure to me and my family," he added. "She was so incredibly sweet and gracious to everyone she encountered. I grieve for her family, and for John [Travolta]."
Marty Maraschino actress, Dinah Manoff also told E! that Olivia was "one of the kindest, most generous souls ever to grace the earth." "I was one lucky Pink Lady to have spent time with her during the filming of Grease," Dinah shared in a statement. "She brought light and laughter wherever she went."
The British-born singer died “peacefully” at her ranch in Southern Californiaat the age of 73, with her husband confirming her death on social media. She was surrounded by family and friends, John Easterling said.
Dame Olivia’s performance saw her nominated for multiple awards including two Golden Globes, and various other film accolades. She was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame almost 41 years ago to the day of her death, on August 5 1981.
The soundtrack to Grease is one of the world’s best-selling albums of recorded music and features the two hit duets from Dame Olivia and Travolta: Summer Nights and You’re The One That I Want. The latter also ranks as one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Kylie Minogue, Peter Andre and Nancy Sinatra also paid tribute as well as the cast and crew of Grease the musical, currently playing at the Dominion Theatre on London’s West End following Monday night’s performance.
“Olivia Newton-John is an icon who has inspired countless young performers across the world, not least our company of Grease in the West End,” the statement said. “We’d like to dedicate this evening’s performance and the rest of our run to Olivia’s memory and everything she represented.”
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