Olivia Newton -John who sang some of the biggest hits of the 70s and 80s while recasting her image as the virginal girl next door into a spandex clad seductress -- a transformation reflected in her starring role in 'Grease', one of the most popular movie musical of its era died this week in US at the age of 73. The British born, Australian raised performer whose album sales topped 100 million records had lived with a breast cancer diagnosis since 1992. Olivia amassed numerous no 1 hits, chart topping albums and 4 records that sold more than 2 million copies each. During 1973-83 she was arguably the world's most popular entertainers with 14 top 10 Billboard singles, won 4 Grammys, starred with John Travolta and Gene Kelly in Grease and Xanadu respectively. Her music resonated with the bubble gum chewing, swinging, hep urban teenage crowd right up to the mid 90s. Newton John's peppy, upbeat songs were a marker of our younger years, so much so that if you hadn't heard Olivia you hadn't heard anything. Thank you for the music Olivia and continue to entertain in heaven. Adios friend, you shall be sorely missed.
