‘An inspiration to many’: Olivia Newton-John to be farewelled at state memorial

Beloved Australian singer Olivia Newton-John will be farewelled at a state memorial at the end of the month in Melbourne.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday announced the 90-minute service to celebrate Newton-John’s life would be held on February 26 at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall.

Singer Delta Goodrem – who played Newton-John in a 2018 TV biopic about the Grease star’s life – will perform at the free service.

“Dame Olivia Newton-John was an inspiration to many around the world – her work in cancer research and treatment saved lives and changed lives, and her music was the soundtrack to a generation,” Andrews said.

“We know Victorians are eager to celebrate the life of a driving force in medical research and an icon of film and music with a service befitting her international acclaim.”

The four-time Grammy award-winner was a prominent promoter and fundraiser for cancer causes after her own battle with breast cancer in 1992.

In 2012, Newton-John partnered with Austin Health in Melbourne to establish the Olivia Newton-John Wellness and Research Centre.

She died at her ranch in Southern California in August 2022 aged 73.

Newton-John was born in 1948 in Cambridge in the United Kingdom, but her family emigrated to Melbourne when she was six. She emerged as a rising pop star as a teenager.

Her family has requested tributes be made in the form of contributions to the Olivia Newton-John Wellness and Research Centre.

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