Pop royalty Pink paid a heartwarming tribute to fellow music icon Olivia Newton-John at the 2022 American Music Awards, which aired this past Sunday, Nov. 20.
Newton-John, who led a lustrous career—including winning 10 AMAs herself—as well as a life dedicated to philanthropy, died of breast cancer at the age of 73 in August of this year. Though Newton-John had a wide variety of beloved hits throughout the years, Pink chose to sing arguably one of her biggest hits of all time, “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”The “So What” singer revealed in an Entertainment Weekly exclusive that her daughter, who had just done a school production of “Grease,” helped her learn the movie musical’s hit song and do it justice.
The coaching paid off. Her distinct rock-‘n’-roll rasp fit surprisingly well into a song written for Newton-John’s more dreamy, ethereal tone. As she sang, images celebrating the late singer’s life filled the stage. Unsurprisingly, audiences were moved by the powerhouse performance.
“I’m pretty sure @olivianj is looking down from heaven and just thrilled ❤️ ❤️bravo!!,” one person commented on Twitter.
Earlier this year—following Newton-John’s passing—Pink shared a black-and-white photo the two took together, praising her as “kindness personified.” Though they had only met a small handful of times, Pink regarded her as “one of the loveliest, kindest, light from within human beings I have ever met.”
Newton-John was (and still is) exactly that to so many people. She might be gone, but leaves behind an abundant source of inspiration, especially when it comes to acting with compassion.
Thank you Pink for honoring her memory in such a beautiful way!
