Grief Is the Word - Herald Sun

Olivia Newton-John can't wait for this year - the worst of her life - to end. Her business is in ruins, her father has died, her career is on hold and, now, she has breast cancer. CAROLYN FORD reports

THEY say misfortune comes in threes. Tragically, that is the case for Australian singer Olivia Newton-John.

It has just been revealed the 43-year-old entertainer has breast cancer and will be undergoing surgery in the next few weeks.

While the prognosis is good doctors expect a full recovery the news was another horrible shock to this woman who has had an extraordinarily traumatic 12 months.

About two weeks ago, her father, Professor Brin Newton-John, died after a long battle with cancer. He was 78. The week before the former vice chancellor of Newcastle University died, Olivia heard her father's condition had worsened and rushed home. She said her goodbyes and flew back to Malibu, near Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband, Matt Lattanzi, 33, and six-year-old daughter Chloe.

Twenty-four hours later, her father, with whom she had a very close relationship, was dead.

Nobody could have guessed he was so close to dying. It's sad because she only left the day before he died, said close family friend Brian Goldsmith.

A few days later, Olivia put on a brave face and appear on the Dennis Miller Show, one of America's most popular late-night talk-shows to promote her new album, Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971-1992, which has just been released in the US. She was upbeat and chirpy, keeping her grief to herself.

As United Nations goodwill ambassador for the environment, she talked about the Rio Earth Summit which she attended, about Chloe, her successful 13-year relationship Lattanzi and her upcoming US tour.

After that appearance, Newton-John went into hiding, according to a spokesperson for the singer. to deal with her father's death and rest before the start of her tour.

She could manage to continue with her plans to perform live at the same time as dealing with her father's death, but not with breast cancer, too.

Since she was diagnosed, believed to have been last week, Olivia's tour has been postponed.

The two-month tour was an attempt by Olivia to revive her ailing, or rather neglected, singing career.

Through the 1970s and early 1980s, Olivia enjoyed huge success in Australia and overseas, scoring 26 Top 40 singles including Hopelessly Devoted to You, Magic, You're the One That I Want, Let Me Be There, Suddenly, Have You Ever Been Mellow and Physical.

She also had enormous success as an actress, in 1978 she co-starred with John Travolta in Grease, the most successful movie musical, and soundtrack, in history.

Business has also been a disaster. Before her father's death, Olivia had been trying to come to terms with the humiliating and financially devastating collapse of her Koala Blue fashion business. After an overly ambitious expansion plan, which saw 60 Koala Blue boutiques open around the world, including the US, Canada, France, Hong Kong and Australia, the multi-national faltered and on February 22, 1991 and, on February 22, 1991 sought to reorganise under the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection code, which is the US equivalent of receivership.

It was unable to reorganise in the current depressed economic climate, however. and in March this year, receivers advised Olivia to sell up, get what she could for the company's assets, worth an estimated $4 million, and start paying back the $8 million owed.

Newton-John, who was named US Celebrity Business Woman of the Year in 1989, has steadfastly refused to comment on the liquidation, at the time, and since.

In an interview in September last year, after the collapse of Koala Blue and the death from cancer of her American best friend's young daughter, Colette Chuda, Olivia described 1991 as the worst year of my life.

She didn't realise how prematurely she was speaking, given the tragedies of this year.

However, she is putting on a brave face, expressing confidence in her full recovery from cancer and eventual plans to resume her US tour later this year.

I draw strength from the millions of women who have faced this challenge successfully. Olivia said this week. This has been detected early because I've had regular examinations, so I encourage other women to do the same.