Olivia Newton-John’s husband has posted a tribute to the “most courageous woman” he has ever known, following the death of the Australian singer and Grease star earlier this week.
Key points:
- John Easterling remembered the love he shared with Olivia Newton-John as “so deep, so real” and “so natural”
- The pair started dating when Newton-John was 59 and were together for 16 years
- The American businessman was the Grease actor’s second husband
John Easterling announced on Tuesday that Newton-John passed away at the age of 73 at her ranch in California “surrounded by family and friends” after a battle with breast cancer.
On Thursday, Australian time, Mr Easterling reflected on his love with Newton-John on a post on the actor’s official Instagram.
“Our love for each other transcends our understanding,” the American businessman wrote.
“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.”
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Mr Easterling is the founder of the American Herb Company, and spent years in the Amazon rainforest studying plants with potential health benefits.
Newton-John was 58 when she started dating Mr Easterling in 2006, a year after the death of her former boyfriend Patrick McDermott disappeared at sea.
They married two years later.
She was formerly married from 1984 to 1995 to Matt Lattanzi, with whom she shared a daughter, Chloe.
In the post, Mr Easterling said his wife was generous and spirited, with a passion for life.
“At Olivia’s deepest essence she was a healer using her mediums of song, of words, of touch,” he wrote.
“She was the most courageous woman I’ve ever known.
“Her bandwidth for genuinely caring for people, for nature and all creatures almost eclipses what is humanely possible. It is only the grace of God that has allowed me to share the depth and passion of her being for so long.
“In her most difficult times she always had the spirit, the humor, and the will power to move things into the light.
“Even now as her soul soars, the pain and holes in my heart are healed with the joy of her love and the light that shines forward.
“Our family deeply appreciates the vast ocean of love and support that has come our way.”
Newton-John’s niece, Totti Goldsmith, told Channel 9 on Wednesday that the British-Australian actor would be buried in California.
She the family intended to accept a state memorial if the Victorian government offered one.
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