Shop
 Explore 

Pop icon Olivia Newton-John leaves behind a legacy of kindness and inspiration

Her legend will not soon be forgotten.

olivia newton john, olivia newton john breast cancer, olivia newton john death

Instagram, Junkee

She leaves us hopelessly devoted.

Dame Olivia Newton-John, top female vocalist of the 1970s, who remained a beloved artist well after her leap to stardom, has “passed away peacefully” at 73 years old. Though her cause of death was not given, in 2018 the singer received her third cancer diagnosis, CNN reported.

Besides her wholesome beauty, charming persona and angelic vocals, the multiple Grammy awarding winning Australian pop star became equally well known for her advocacy for health and wellness.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, the same weekend she lost her father to cancer, Newton-John founded the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre (ONJ Centre) as a “positive healing center to support people on their cancer journey.” She also used her memoir, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” to share some of her own battles with the disease.

On her official Instagram page, Newton-John’s husband, John Easterling, paid loving tribute to his wife for being a “symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” adding that “her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”

See on Instagram

Newton-John had regularly touted the soothing benefits of medical cannabis and worked toward legalizing the plant in Australia.

Newton-John leaves behind a legacy of artistic hits, the most iconic being her role of Sandy in the 1978 hit film “Grease.” One of the movie’s most famous songs, “Hopelessly Devoted” (sung beautifully by Newton-John and earning her an Academy Award nomination), mirrors the enduring devotion that fans still have for it years later. In January 2016, a live televised remake of the musical was created starring Julianne Hough in the role of Sandra Dee.

John Travolta, Newton-John’s co-star, wrote on social media: “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. 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 moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”

“Grease” received backlash among viewers after being aired on the BBC in 2021, with some even calling for an all-out ban of the movie. This was primarily in response to a well-known scene where Danny Zuko (Travolta) repeatedly tries to make a move on Sandy, but critics accused the story of being homophobic and sexist.

In a podcast episode of “A Life of Greatness,” the actress called the backlash "kind of silly, because the movie was made in the '70s about the '50s. It was a stage play. It's a musical. It's fun.

"We need to relax a little bit and just enjoy things for what they are," she added. "I think it's just a fun movie that entertains people. That's all."

Newton-John was also a sex-positive icon in her own right. Following the success of “Grease,” where her buttoned-up Sandy becomes a sex-liberated teenager, she released the song “Physical,” which was banned for its suggestive lyrics before spending 10 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.

She also starred in the fantasy musical “Xanadu,” a hugely popular film in the LGBTQ community. In an interview with LogoTV, she joked that she “gets a kick” out of knowing the movie is being shown in gay bars.

Olivia Newton-John was the epitome of a class-act. Despite her celebrity status, she was open, honest and—above all— compassionate. According to People, her activism included serving as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, becoming the national spokesperson for the Children's Health Environmental Coalition and working with the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research.

Through tireless contributions, undeniable talent and an effortlessly approachable personality, she carved a spot into countless hearts and she will not soon be forgotten.

From Your Site Articles

in loving memory

Family brings home the wrong dog from daycare until their cats saved the day

A quick trip to the vet confirmed the cats' and family's suspicions.

Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul|YouTube

Family accidentally brings wrong dog home but their cats knew

It's not a secret that nearly all golden retrievers are identical. Honestly, magic has to be involved for owners to know which one belongs to them when more than one golden retriever is around. Seriously, how do they all seem have the same face? It's like someone fell asleep on the copy machine when they were being created.

Outside of collars, harnesses and bandanas, immediately identifying the dog that belongs to you has to be a secret skill because at first glance, their personalities are also super similar. That's why it's not surprising when one family dropped off their sweet golden pooch at daycare and to be groomed, they didn't notice the daycare sent out the wrong dog.

See, not even their human parents can tell them apart because when the swapped dog got home, nothing seemed odd to the owners at first. She was freshly groomed so any small differences were quickly brushed off. But this accidental doppelgänger wasn't fooling her feline siblings.

Keep ReadingShow less

switched at dog daycare

Ivy League researchers released a huge report on teen sex. It's a must-read for parents.

The Harvard report has 3 major takeaways.

Photo by Long Truong on Unsplash

woman in white sleeveless dress kissing man in blue dress shirt

"It may be the most important thing we do in life; learn how to love and be loved."

At least, that's according to Harvard psychologist and researcher Rick Weissbourd.

He's been collecting data on the sex and love habits of young people for years through surveys, interviews, and even informal conversation — with teens and the important people in their lives.

Through it all, one thing has been abundantly clear:

"We spend enormous amount of attention helping parents prepare their kids for work and school," Weissbourd says. "We do almost nothing to prepare them for the tender, tough, subtle, generous, focused work of developing mature healthy relationships. I'm troubled by that."

Keep ReadingShow less

Mom gives master class rant about how impossible it is to have kids in sports while working full time

"It just doesn't even make sense."

Rex & Mo|TikTok

Mom shares PSA on about being a sports mom while also working

Being a mom can be challenging enough, but when you add in working full time and kids activities, it feels like you need a few clones to help you out. Recently we signed our youngest up for soccer, he's 5-years-old and happens to be ten years younger than his closest sibling, so I've done the sports stuff.

At one point I was working full-time while my daughter took tap, ballet and jazz while also on a soccer team and my two older boys played soccer, baseball and football. We rarely saw the inside of our home unless it was to sleep, I'm not even sure I knew how my stove worked during those years. Now here we are starting all over again.

So when Mo, a mom running the TikTok page Rex & Mo posted a video ranting about how impossible it feels to add organized activities for kids into the mix, parents everywhere related, myself included.

Keep ReadingShow less

parenting tiktok

Librarian praises the 'power of the library' after encounter saves homeless patron's life

We all need somewhere safe to go.

@mychal3ts/TikTok

This is "the power of the library"

Editor's Note: This story discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts about taking your own life, or know of anyone who is in need of help, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

Libraries aren’t just a place to score free books. For many, they provide safe refuge.

This secondary offering has lately been overshadowed by political controversy, as there has been a laser focus from conservatives on the types of literature libraries provide, especially titles that pertain to LGBTQ and racial topics.

But one librarian’s retelling of a life saving encounter reminds us of how essential these community spaces really are—and it has nothing to do with books at all.

Keep ReadingShow less

You can now taste the first tortilla chips made with certified regenerative corn

When founder Zack Gazzaniga decided to start his own tortilla chip company, Zack's Mighty, his mission was to create a delicious chip that didn’t break in guacamole.

His quest to create the perfect chip took him to Italy, where he acquired Otto File flint corn (a very flavorful variety of flint corn now mostly grown in Italy for polenta), and then back to the U.S. to plant and grow it.

When connecting with farms to partner with to grow the corn, Zack began learning about regenerative agriculture and its benefits for the soil and climate. “Regenerative agriculture made so much sense to me that I decided then that this would be a pillar of our business and a mandate that everyone who grows our corn follows regenerative practices,” he says.

Regenerative agriculture combines conservation and rehabilitation practices to improve farmland soil and combat climate change. These practices include less tillage, crop rotation, cover cropping, and composting.

One of the farmers Zack connected with to grow organic and regenerative corn was Bryce Irlbeck in Manning, Iowa. “We began [fully] regenerative farming in 2019, but have been doing different aspects such as cover cropping and crop rotation for 10 years.”

Bryce’s farm in Iowa was one of Zack’s Mighty’s partner farms that spent two years in partnership with A Greener World, evaluating farm standards, plans, and auditing procedures to receive Certified Regenerative certification. This certification provides a whole-farm assurance of regeneration and sustainability, measuring benefits for soil, water, air, biodiversity, infrastructure, animal welfare, and social responsibility. As of August 2022, all of Zack’s Mighty partner farms were officially certified.

Bryce’s advice to farmers looking to begin regenerative practices is to first “focus on figuring out a [crop] rotation since each area of the country will be different due to markets and weather patterns.”

Zack’s Mighty is thrilled to have cultivated a supply chain that uses organic ingredients and Certified Regenerative corn — ensuring its customers can be proud to align their values with their purchase.

“Our mission to make the best tortilla chip on the market starts with our ingredients and how they are produced. We want to assure our customers that we value transparency and source only high-quality ingredients to create delicious products that are truly good for the planet,” says Zack.