Olivia Newton-John revealed exactly what she wanted to happen after her death in an interview filmed before she passed away.
In a never-before-seen interview which aired during Seven special Spotlight: Olivia – A Magical Life on Sunday night, the Australian entertainment icon explained that she wanted some of her ashes scattered in Byron Bay, some at her property in California and “in other places I love”.
The ashes of Newton-John’s late mother and sister were also scattered in the popular coastal northern NSW town, where the actress owned a property until last year.
“I don’t think I’ve really thought about it that deeply. We all should,” Newton-John said in the previously unknown footage.
“But I’d like to be with them, I’d like to be with them… that would be nice.”
Newton-John, whose starring role in grease in 1978 made her world famous, died at her ranch in California last week following a long battle with breast cancer.
She was first diagnosed with the disease in 1992, but it went into remission before it reappeared in 2013 and then again in 2017.
The Seven special also featured tributes from some of her oldest and closest friends, including Sir Cliff Richard and Bee Gees legend Barry Gibb, who described her as “a diamond”.
“And in this world there’s only a few diamonds,” he said.
“There were all these wonderful female artists and then there was Olivia Newton-John.”
Newton-John’s heartbroken family have accepted the offer of a state funeral from Victoria’s state government, with Premier Daniel Andrews confirming the news last Thursday.
“This will be much more of a concert than a funeral, I think it will be a celebration of such a rich and generous life,” he said.
“Olivia Newton-John was a very special person and to take her cancer journey and to turn that into more research, better treatment, better care and this focus on wellness, is such an amazing legacy and that’s why I think we all feel the pain of her passing.”
Olivia Newton-John’s funeral plans revealed: Grieving family accept state memorial service after Grease star’s death
By Jade Watkins for Daily Mail Australia
Published: | Updated:
Australians will get a chance to publicly mourn Olivia Newton-John, with the beloved entertainer’s family accepting an offer for a state memorial service.
Newton-John’s daughter Tottie Goldsmith accepted the offer on the family’s behalf while speaking with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday morning.
A venue and date for the service have yet to be announced, with further discussions under way between the family and the premier’s department.
Olivia’s death was announced on Monday, after a 30-year battle with cancer.
Australians will get a chance publicly mourn Olivia Newton-John, with the beloved entertainer’s family accepting an offer for a state memorial service
But Mr Andrews flagged the event will be more of a concert than a traditional funeral service.
‘The family were quite touched at the prospect of Victorians being able to come together and celebrate Olivia’s life,’ Mr Andrews said.
‘As tough as this time is… it’s made a little easier by all the outpouring of grief and support, and the very fond memories people are sharing of such an amazing person.’
Newton-John’s niece Tottie Goldsmith accepted the offer on the family’s behalf while speaking with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday morning
‘The family were quite touched at the prospect of Victorians being able to come together and celebrate Olivia’s life,’ Mr Andrews said
The actress, singer and activist was reportedly planning to write an introductory letter to new Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, federal Health Minister Mark Butler and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to push for greater access to medicinal cannabis.
Ms Thomas said she had not received any correspondence from Newton-John but was aware of her passion to support people living in pain with cancer and other chronic illnesses.
The Grease star lost her battle with stage-four metastatic breast cancer on Monday morning.
The actress and singer died peacefully at the age of 73 at her home in southern California, surrounded by family and friends. Her husband John Easterling announced her death on her Facebook page.
‘Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,’ Easterling wrote.
The actress and singer died peacefully at the age of 73 at her home in southern California, surrounded by family and friends. Ella’s husband John Easterling announced her death on her Facebook page
‘Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,’ he wrote
‘We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.
‘Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.
‘Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer,’ he added.
The family asked for donations to be made to her cancer organisation, the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, instead of flowers.
Easterling also paid tribute to his late wife on social media this week, talking about their love for one another.
Using Newton-John’s Instagram account, Easterling wrote: ‘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.’
The actress famously beat breast cancer twice but was diagnosed again in 2017.
She spent the last few years at home, campaigning for animals’ rights and raising money for her charity online.
She was also a strong campaigner for the use of medical cannabis for treatment in Australia.
Olivia is survived by husband John and her daughter Chloe Lattanzi
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has made an awkward gaffe while posting a tweet announcing a state memorial service for Olivia Newton-John that missed her name.
The iconic Australian singer, who starred in the hit musical Grease, died aged 73 at her home in southern California on Monday, after a long battle with breast cancer.
Ms Newton-John’s death triggered an outpouring of heartfelt condolences from celebrities and fans all over the world and prompted Mr Andrews to offer her family a state memorial service for the star.
“I’m so pleased that Olivia Newton-John’s family have accepted our offer of a State Memorial Service,” Mr Andrews’ official account tweeted.
The spelling error, in which an extra “w” was added to “Newton”, was quickly pointed out by followers who accused the premier of making the service about himself instead of honoring Ms Newton-John.
“It’s Newton NOT Newtown. With the amount we pay for your PR team they could get the spelling right,” one person wrote.
“Her name was Olivia NEWTON John. You’re absolutely embarrassing,” another posted.
Several Twitter users claimed that the error was disrespectful because it allegedly showed a lack of attention to detail.
“At least have the respect to spell her name correctly,” one wrote.
Olivia Newton-John. With respect Premier, please be mindful of the correct spelling,” another advised.
And: “You can’t even get her name right. So much for respect.”
Earlier, Mr Andrews said he spoke to Ms Newton-John’s niece, former Neighbors star, Tottie Goldsmith to discuss plans.
“I can update that I’ve spoken with Tottie Goldsmith this morning and she, on behalf of the family, have accepted my offer of a state service,” he said.
“This will be much more of a concert than a funeral, I think it will be a celebration of such a rich and generous life.
“As I said the other day, Olivia Newton-John was a very special person and to take her cancer journey and to turn that into more research, better treatment, better care and this focus on wellness, is such an amazing legacy and that’s why I think we all feel the pain of her passing.”
Mr Andrews said the family was touched by the Australian public’s outpouring of grief following Ms Newton-John’s death.
“There will be further discussions, those discussions have started today, but there will be further discussions in my department and the family about what’s appropriate,” he said.
“I think giving Melburnians and Victorians and indeed people who travel from other parts of the country and maybe even the world to be here to celebrate such an important, rich and generous life — that was the right thing to do.”
“And I must say, it’s very clear to me the family were quite touched by the prospect of Victorians being able to come together and celebrate Olivia’s life.”
The British-born actor and singer, who moved to Melbourne aged six, identified as Australian and became a devoted advocate for cancer research.
Her family will hold a private funeral for Ms Newton-John in the US – where she has lived for decades.
She is survived by husband John Easterling and daughter Chloe Lattanzi.
What are the odds that two of Australia’s biggest music stars attended the same primary school together?
A school photo of the late Olivia Newton-John alongside horses hit maker Daryl Braithwaite has emerged, unearthing the little-known fact the duo attended school together.
Braithwaite, 73, shared the black-and-white class photo taken at Christ Church Grammar School in Melbourne in 1961 – some 15 years before Newton-John shot to global superstardom on grease.
“This is a lovely shot to look back at when Olivia was at (school) with all her friends back in 1961. Olivia is 2nd from the right and 3rd row from the bottom,” Braithwaite wrote.
He added: “She also loved all animals and was a beautiful soul who left a legacy that will last forever.”
Braithwaite has previously opened up about how the duo were briefly “boyfriend and girlfriend” while attending school, before Newton-John moved to London in her teens.
“She was one of the prettiest girls in the class, (we were) 11 or 12 I think,” he told The Morning Show in 2017.
“I don’t know how, we must have sat next to each other and thought, ‘Oh yeah that’s good’ and we were talking and then we held hands and then it was over.”
He further opened up about the pair being school sweethearts in an interview with now to lovein 2020.
“Olivia won’t mind saying that we did start out as boyfriend and girlfriend back when we were around 12 or 13 at the most,” he said.
“We held hands and we were in the same class. But then it all disintegrated. I think she left and went to England. I never actually knew that she could sing at the time.”
At the time, Braithwaite said the old friends were still connecting all these years later.
“It is one of those friendships where there was a decade, or maybe more, where we didn’t speak to each other, mainly because we were too busy or whatever, but over the last year or so I have made more contact with her than ever before, and she is lovely, she really is,” he said.
Newton-John died at her ranch in California on Tuesday aged 73, after a decades-long battle with breast cancer.
She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. It went into remission but reappeared in 2013 and then again in 2017. At one point she said she was partly in “denial” about the disease, because if she dwelled upon it too much it would mean she wouldn’t “enjoy life”.
Her family, including husband John Easterling and daughter Chloe Lattanzi, have accepted Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ offer of a state funeral to honor her legacy and celebrate her life.
The Seekers lead singer Judith Durham will be honored at a state funeral, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed.
Durham died on Friday, aged 79.
She has been remembered as an Australian treasure with the voice of an angel.
Her band mates, Athol Guy, Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger, said their lives had been changed forever by losing “our treasured lifelong friend and shining star.”
Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Twitter that after speaking with Ms Durham’s family, they accepted the offer of a state funeral to honor her life and contribution to music.
Mr Andrews described Ms Durham as a “true icon of Australian music”.
Judith Durham was a girl from Melbourne who became a superstar.(AAP: Julian Smith)
Durham was born Judith Mavis Cock in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon in 1943.
She changed her name to her mother’s maiden name at the age of 19.
The Seekers formed in 1962 and Durham joined them a year later.
Her voice and stage presence helped propel the band to superstardom and they moved to the UK in 1964.
With their first three releases going to the top of the British charts, the previously unknown group from Melbourne knocked The Beatles off the number one spot.
They also had three top-20 singles and two top-20 albums in the US — a market notoriously difficult to crack for Australian artists.
On their return to Australia in 1967, The Seekers set an Australian record when a crowd of more than 200,000 watched their performance at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
The Seekers are loved around the world.(Supplied: Bruce Woodley)
Durham made her shock decision to leave The Seekers on a tour to New Zealand in 1968.
But the band reunited a number of times in the decades since for reunion shows.
Durham died in palliative care after a short stay at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital after complications from chronic lung disease.
The Victorian government is under pressure to speed up promised integrity reforms, following a scathing report detailing “extensive” misconduct by its MPs.
Key points:
The Greens will introduce legislation this week to fast track anti-corruption measures
The proposed bill aims to stifle the influence of lobbyists and make ministerial diaries public
The government has promised to implement 21 recommendations from an IBAC report by June 2024
The Operation Watts investigation — a joint probe between the state’s ombudsman and the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) — a covered rampant nepotism and the widespread misuse of public resources within the Victorian Labor party.
The Victorian Greens will introduce an anti-corruption bill when parliament summarizes this week to strengthen IBAC’s powers and establish a Parliamentary Integrity Commissioner within the next few months — almost two years sooner than the timeline indicated by the government.
The Labor Party has promised to implement all 21 of the report’s recommendations, which includes advice to establish a Parliamentary Ethics Committee and an Integrity Commissioner by June 2024.
But Brunswick MP and Greens integrity spokesperson Tim Read said the government should act immediately on the reforms.
Tim Read says integrity issues have been present in Victorian parliament for years.(Facebook: Tim Read Greens)
“There’s no reason why the government couldn’t make a good start on it this year and have an integrity commissioner appointed early next year,” Dr Read told the ABC.
“There’s a lot of precedent to this — it’s not as if there’s a hell of a lot of thought that needs to go into it.”
Catherine Williams from the Center for Public Integrity said the government must start implementing some reforms before November’s state election if it was determined to crack down on corruption.
“It’s very easy for governments to make promises to introduce change, however, we know from past experience what we need to see are steps being taken,” Dr Williams said.
“A commitment is one thing, what we really require is action.”
The Liberal opposition has also backed the push to speed up reforms, with Matthew Guy saying he would be “more than happy to look into it” when parliament returns.
Daniel Andrews has committed to implementing the recommendations from the report.
Premier Daniel Andrews said on Friday the government would be “faithful” to the timeline provided by the integrity agencies.
“Some of it will be able to be achieved quickly, other elements of those recommendations in that reform will take a bit longer, but we’re committed to all of them,” Mr Andrews said.
“If we can better it, if we can do it even faster, then of course we will.”
Reports reveal misconduct likely to be repeated
Last week, a fresh report from the Victorian Ombudsman into Labor’s red shirts affair warned that until corruption was addressed with the “necessary rigour”, the scandals were “unlikely to be the last”.
The calls for urgent reform come amid other integrity investigations involving the state government, including political donations by a property developer linked to big projects.
Concerns were raised over a potential conflict of interest stemming from Lizzie Blandthorn’s appointment as Planning Minister in June, due to her brother’s role as a director at construction lobbying firm Hawker Britton.
Dr Read said while the recent IBAC investigations had shone a spotlight on the state’s weak parliamentary accountability laws, the Greens’ integrity platform was not new.
“For years, there’s been concern about inadequate integrity measures in the Victorian government and parliament — it’s just happened to intensify over the past couple of months,” he said.
Legislation to weaken the influence of lobbyists
Under the integrity and anti-corruption reforms proposed by the Greens, lobbyists would also be prevented from having an undue influence on state MPs.
If passed, the bill would legislate codes of conduct for ministers and lobbyists, make ministerial diaries publicly available and lengthen the waiting period from when a minister leaves parliament before becoming a lobbyist.
“If a minister meets with a property developer, we should know about that,” Dr Read said.
“And if a minister becomes a lobbyist for a property developer, then there should be a time lag between those events.”
In Victoria, parliamentary secretaries and ministerial officers must wait 12 months before taking up lobbying work, while ministers and cabinet secretaries must wait 18 months.
Catherine Williams says governments need to put their words into actions.(Supplied)
Dr Williams said the “cooling-off period” should be a minimum of two years, and ideally, five years.
“Influencing networks don’t dissipate in such a short period, and that’s the purpose of the prohibition,” she said.
“If you want it to be meaningful it needs to be substantially longer.”
In 2019, the Greens attempted to establish a Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, but the bill failed to garner enough votes.
“There’s nothing like being vindicated, however, everybody would have been better off had the government supported us,” Dr Read said.
“And not just the government, but also crossbenchers who voted against the idea.”
The opposition has committed to boosting funding for IBAC and the state’s ombudsman if it wins the November election.
Under the plan, the coalition would pump an extra $10 million into IBAC’s annual budget and increase the Victorian Ombudsman’s funding by $2 million per year. IBAC would also gain broader powers for public hearings.
