Over the past year,Olivia Newton-John’s loved ones haven’t just sensed the late superstar’s presence — they’ve seen it, too.
Opening up to PEOPLE in this week’s issue on the anniversary of theGreaseand pop music icon’s death from cancer at 73, those who were closest to Newton-John share details of her final days, what this past year has been like, and how they say she’s visited them in ways they never could have imagined.
David Livingston/Getty
“Mom and I had talked years back. We’d watch these paranormal shows, and I’d say, ‘You gotta show up for me.’ And she was like, ‘I’ll show up as one of those orb things.’ ”
Easterling has had similar encounters. Two months ago he visited Peru with his wife’s ashes to hold a private ceremony at the spot where they said “I do,” commemorating what would have been their 15th wedding anniversary. “I took a picture, and this blue orb is right between my eyes,” he says, showing off the image on his phone. “It’s been a supernatural year.”
On Aug. 8, 2022, Newton-Johndied peacefully at her homein Santa Ynez, California, after a 30-year journey with breast cancer. (First diagnosed with the disease in 1992, she privately faced a recurrence in 2013 beforepublicly revealing the cancer had metastasized to her sacrumin 2017.)
Mark Sullivan Bradley; Elizabeth Weinberg
While the world lost a beloved movie and music star—revered for her role as Sandy inGrease, timeless pop hits like “Physical” and a famously positive attitude in the face of multiple cancer diagnoses—Lattanzi and Easterling lost the person they loved most. “There’s no replacing her,” says Easterling.
John Easterling and Chloe Lattanzi for PEOPLE on Aug. 1, 2023.Elizabeth Weinberg
Elizabeth Weinberg
In October they’ll lead her annualOlivia’s Walk for Wellnessin Melbourne to raise funds for theOlivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centrealong with lifesaving cancer research with herOlivia Newton-John Foundation Fundcurrently testing the efficacy of medicinal plants for cancer treatment.
“It’s an honor,” Lattanzi says of continuing her mom’s advocacy and gearing up to lead this year’s walk alongside Easterling. “I know it’s going to be really hard emotionally, but I’m excited to do this for her.” Adds Easterling: “I have to stop and just be grateful. She wants us to live life and love life and never lose sight of the good things.”
John Easterling, Olivia Newton-John, Chloe Lattanzi.Courtesy ONJ Cancer Centre
Courtesy ONJ Cancer Centre
Olivia Newton-John.Mark Sullivan Bradley
Mark Sullivan Bradley
Even as Newton-John’s condition declined, her positive spirit endured. “She loved her spot outside her bedroom to watch the birds,” says Lattanzi, who moved back in to help care for her mom. After she’d spent some time in the hospital near the end, “we were like, ‘She doesn’t want to be here,’ ” says Lattanzi, and they brought Newton-John back home.
Chloe Lattanzi, Olivia Newton-John.Chloe Lattanzi/Instagram
“We had a symbiotic relationship,” she adds “I’ve battled with a lot of things in my life. She’d always be like, ‘You’re so powerful and strong and magnificent.’ ”
For more on Olivia Newton-John’s final days and lasting legacy, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE out Friday.
For more information on Olivia’s Walk for Wellness visitwalkforwellness.com.au.
For more information on the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund and research projects, visitonjfoundationfund.org
source: people.com
