For almost 30 years, Olivia Newton-John lived under the shadow of breast cancer before her death from the advanced disease. The Grease icon was just 73 when she died on Monday, August 8 after the cruel illness returned for a third time. Her beloved husband John Easterling was by her side and announced the sad news to the world, hailing his wife as a "symbol of triumphs and hope".
Before meeting John and tying the knot in 2008, Olivia was involved in a nine-year on-off romance with cameraman Patrick McDermott, who mysteriously went missing at sea. The 48 year old - who met Olivia after her 1995 divorce from first husband Matt Lattanzi - disappeared without a trace on an overnight fishing trip with 22 other people on June 30, 2005.
When the boat docked on dry land, there was no sign of McDermott, although it would take another week for anyone to notice he had gone. It was only when he missed a family event on July 6 that friends became worried, and he was officially reported missing on July 11.
His car keys, passport and wallet were found on the boat, while his car remained parked at the San Pedro marina in Los Angeles.
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A police probe failed to provide any definite answers, and it later emerged that no-one on the boat had done any head counts.
A Coast Guard inquiry found no 'evidence of criminal action, suicide, accident or hoax,' and a conclusion was reached that he'd been lost at sea
For Olivia - who was on a promotional tour in Australia at the time - it was a struggle to live with the unsolved mystery.
"I don't think I will ever really be at peace with it," she once admitted. "I think there will always be a question mark."
Adding to her anguish, rumours quickly began to fly that McDermott had faked his own death to escape mounting debts.
According to reports, he had filed for bankruptcy amid debts of $30,000 (£24,800) and had been ordered to pay $8,000 (£6,600) in backdated child support for the son he fathered with ex-wife Yvette Nipar.
Conspiracy theories ranged from McDermott having another boat lined up to meet him offshore, to him planting his belongings on the boat before slipping off while it was still docked.
Eyewitnesses claimed to have seen him living in a yacht with a new lover off the coast of Sayulita and Acapulco in Mexico, sparking the interest of TV companies who sent undercover film crews to investigate.
Private investigators tried to lure him out of hiding with a website called FindPatrickMcDermott.com that pinpointed the location of anyone who accessed the site, leading to a focus on Sayulita.
His story featured on America's Most Wanted and Dateline and in 2016, investigator John Nazarian claimed McDermott was living with a new partner.
"It's rumoured he was with a German national. I spoke to people there," he said.
"The girl he was travelling with was described as having a German accent.
"To come up with the conclusion that he fell off the boat, and allegedly no-one saw him fall off the boat, is the most preposterous thing I've ever heard in my life."
In an unsubstantiated 2009 claim, one investigator said that he'd made contact with McDermott, and he just wanted to be left alone.
And another reported that the South Korea native, who was adopted by an American family, was living under his birth name, Pat Kim.
In total, there have been more than 20 'sightings' in Mexico and Central America, although most have been discounted.
Australia's New Idea magazine sparked fresh speculation in 2017 when it published a picture of the supposed couple in Mexico, although it later turned out to be a Canadian couple with no links to McDermott.
Meanwhile, McDermott's ex-wife Yvette Nipar pleaded with conspiracy theorists to stop speculating for the sake of their son.
She wrote to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in a bid to block publication of a book about the tragedy called Lost At Sea, insisting, "My son has been through enough emotional torment over this."
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