Olivia Newton-John‘s selfless nature was something known by her fans and loved ones – and her final performance, which saw her take the stage in Sydney to raise money for bushfire relieftruly exemplified that fact.
It was February 2020, and Australia had been devastated by the Black Summer bushfires for months. Newton-John, meanwhile, had been diagnosed with breast cancer for a third time three years priorand although she had undergone radiation to shrink a tumor in her breast, the cancer had spread to the base of her spine and caused a fracture, meaning she required a wheelchair and had to learn to walk again.
That did not stop her from performing, however, and she joined a slew of Aussie and international legends – including What in (fronted by adam lambert), Delta Goodrem, Guy Sebastian, to name a few – on the stage at Fire Fight Australia on February 16, 2020, in what, unknownst to the audience at the time, would be her final performance. Watch above.
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In front of a crowd of thousands at Accor Stadium in Sydney Olympic Park – and even more watching the broadcast at home – Newton-John sang ‘Two Strong Hearts’ with John Farnhamdazzling the crowd in a wide-sleeved floral top from Camilla and jeans.
The concert, which was hosted by comedian Celeste Barber and raised $9 millionwas held three months after Newton-John was named a dame of the Order of the British Empire for her services to singing, acting, and her charity work, a fact Farnham celebrated – loudly and proudly – when he introduced her to the cheering crowd.
Newton-John was unfazed by Farnham’s fanfare over her personal achievements, however, saying a quick thanks with a kiss on the cheek before turning her attention to the audience and greeting them with a big smile and wave.
“It’s amazing, what an amazing night,” Newton-John said on stage. “I’m so proud to be a part of this and to be singing with [Farnham] again.”
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The duo then performed an energized rendition of their 1998 hit ‘Two Strong Hearts,’ smiling and embracing as they did so.
At the conclusion of the song, as the audience cheered, Newton-John gave Farnham her hand, which he grasped with his own and then kissed.
They later sung his 1986 hit ‘You’re the Voice’ alongside Queen with Adam Lambert, the artists joined by firefighters and first responders on stage.
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Although Newton-John was fighting stage four metastatic breast cancer for the third time, she was actively touring the United States in 2017 – but slowed down in 2018, taking a six-month break between shows from March to September of that year.
Following her show at Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theater on September 14, 2018, Newton-John did not perform again for over a year, only taking the stage once again in Florida in December 2019 before her brief appearance at Fire Fight Australia in 2020, her final performance.
Opening up about her most recent cancer battle – she was first diagnosed in 1992 – to The Mirror nine months after her last performance, Newton-John did say she was feeling better and stronger than she had in the previous few years, but, like any person, she sometimes fell into bouts of melancholy when thinking about her health.
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“I’m human. I have had moments of fear, and all those things, just like everybody. But I talk myself round. There’s no way around pain. You have to go through it, but you’ll come out the other side if you believe strongly enough that it is just temporary,” Newton-John told the publication in November 2020.
“I’ve been dealing with this for a very long time, so I know how important the mind is in your journey. I really believe in that, in positive thinking, and reinforcing, talking to my body, and thanking it. It’s all up to that.”
After a 30-year battle with breast cancer, Newton-John passed away on August 8 at the age of 73surrounded by family and friends.
“My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better,” her friend and grease co-star John Travolta wrote in tribute. “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!”
Newton-John’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi, meanwhile, shared a heartbreaking post full of photos of herself with her mother.
Three days before Newton-John’s death, Lattanzi also wrote: “I worship this woman. My mother. My best friend.”
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