She said her aunt was not afraid of dying
Olivia Newton-John “really struggled with a lot of pain” in the final days before her death, her niece revealed in an emotional interview this week.
The Grease star died surrounded by her family in Southern California on Monday, following a 29-year battle with breast cancer. She was 73-years-old.
In an interview with Australian news programme A Current Affair, niece Tottie Goldsmith, 59, said Newton-John’s family had “known how sick she’s been,” particularly in her final week.
“It wasn’t just the cancer that got her, it was other complications. Being in a hospital and with a very susceptible immune system,” Goldsmith told the programme’s host Tracy Grimshaw.
“She got secondary infections,” Goldsmith added.
Newton-John, who was born in England but raised in Australia from the age of five, beat breast cancer twice in her lifetime, but it was her third and final diagnosis in 2017 that led to her death. Despite her illness, the actor spent years raising money for cancer research and treatment through the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund.
Announcing the news in a statement on social media, her husband John Easterling said his late wife had been a “symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years”.
Over the years, Newton-John spoke openly about using cannabis to cope with the pain she suffered as a result of cancer and lobbied the Australian government to approve the drug’s medicinal use.
However her niece, also an actor, explained how the medication “wasn’t enough” to help Newton-John in her final days and that she “really struggled with a lot of pain” before she passed away.
Goldsmith said: “She was really skinny and unwell and I said to her, ‘Are you afraid of dying?’ and she said, ‘I’m not afraid. I’ve done more in my life than I could have ever imagined’.”
The Australian actor was unable to get to the US to be with her aunt, but said she “told her all the things I needed to say” over a FaceTime call two days before she died.
Visibly distraught, Goldsmith explained how her cousin, Newton-John’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi, has had it “really tough” but she has “been amazing”.
Lattanzi shared an emotional tribute to her late mum on social media on Tuesday night which showed behind-the-scenes footage of the mother and daughter singing their duet ‘Window in the Wall’.
Her caption read: “You are my lighthouse mama. My safe place. My heart space. It has been my honor and continues to be my honor to be your baby and best friend. You are an angel on earth and everyone touched by you has been blessed. I love you forever my life giver, my teacher, my mama.”
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Paying tribute to her late aunty on social media, Goldsmith wrote: “Thank you Livvy, thank you for your deep heart, your playfulness, your constant encouragement and positivity.
“You were more than an auntie to us and you were a gift to this world. I will miss you forever. Love and light.”
Related links:
- EastEnders’ Samantha Womack reveals breast cancer diagnosis in Olivia Newton-John tribute
- Mystery of Olivia Newton-John’s ex-boyfriend who vanished on fishing trip 17 years ago
- John Travolta pays heartfelt tribute to Grease co-star Olivia Newton John
