‘Hopelessly Devoted’ To Each Other: Olivia Newton-John And Her Husband John Easterling’s Romance Timeline

Aug 10, 2022 by apost team

Beloved actress and hugely popular singer Olivia Newton-John passed away on Aug. 8, 2022, at the age of 73, leaving her family, friends and many fans devastated. She left behind a daughter, a sister and brother, nieces and nephews and the “love of her life,” husband, John Easterling. The two shared a bond like no other and became partners in life, love and activism.

Newton-John was born on Sept. 26, 1948, in England before moving with her family to Australia when she was 5 years old. She began her career in the entertainment industry as a singer in the early 1970s, releasing records that did well enough to earn some of her singles a place near the top of the music charts but not quite enough to make her a household name. 

Superstardom would come when she was cast in the 1978 musical “Grease” opposite John Travolta. Newton-John’s portrayal of an innocent Australian student pining for Travolta’s Danny Zuko was a hit, breaking records at the time it was released and securing critical and commercial success. This success was due in part to the film’s soundtrack, which included a fair few numbers with Newton-John, including “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” “Summer Nights” and “You’re The One That I Want.” 

Then would come “Physical.” The album, along with the title track of the same name, would blow up in 1981, due in part to the provocative lyrics and music video that accompanied the single. Despite the change in her clean-cut image, the public still adored her and she went on to record more albums with varying degrees of success.

While her romantic life suffered swings and misses, much like her career, she hit the love jackpot with her second husband, Easterling.

In 1984, Newton-John married actor Matt Lattanzi, whom she had met while filming “Xanadu,” and the couple had a daughter, Chloe Rose, in 1986. 

After the pair divorced in 1995, Newton-John met cameraman Patrick McDermott, and the two were coupled up for nine years. However, in June 2005, McDermott went missing while on a fishing trip off the coast of Los Angeles, and his body was never found. Rumor later spread that the cameraman had faked his death and moved to Mexico. Newton-John described the ordeal as “traumatic,” but that falling in love with Easterling helped her move on.

Newton-John and Easterling had been friends for years but only fell in love after a trip to the Amazon. They went public with their relationship in 2007. A year later, they were married on a Peru mountaintop in a secret Incan ceremony before returning to the U.S. for another secret beachfront ceremony in Florida on June 30, 2008. They then shocked friends and family with the big marriage reveal during a July 4th barbeque.

“My family was surprised,” Olivia told PEOPLE, “but my daughter knew – I told my daughter,” she said, adding the reason for all the secrecy was because “it was the one thing I could keep private. That’s how we wanted it because my life is so public.”

Eight years later, she was still gushing about her husband, saying: “He’s incredibly smart and compassionate. He says yes to everything, he says yes to life!” As for finding her soulmate in her later years, she added, “I’m very lucky I have a wonderful, beautiful husband who is just so loving and fantastic. I always tell my friends you’re never too old to find love. I found the love of my life at 59 going on 60! I’m grateful.”

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At every public appearance, Newton-John and Easterling appeared very much in love. They were seen on the red carpet regularly with old friend Travolta as well as at charity events. For the lovebirds, the match was one of minds and heart, particularly as Easterling was a natural health businessman and Newton-John was struggling with her own health battles.

In 1992 at 42 years old, Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer. “I draw strength from the millions of women who have faced this challenge successfully,” she said in a statement released on July 14, 1992. After defeating it, she discovered it had returned in 2013. In 2017, the cancer had progressed to stage four and spread to Newton-John’s bones.

Newton-John credited Easterling with helping her fight the disease, saying in 2019: 

“My husband hands me all these herbs every morning and makes me a green algae drink.” 

He also gave her medicinal cannabis that “he grows … and makes … into liquid for me. I take drops maybe four to five times a day.”

With a shared interest in more holistic medicine, the duo would found the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund in 2020, aimed at supporting research into plant medicine to treat cancer. This was in addition to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Center that opened in Melbourne, Australia, in 2008, for which she helped raise funds to build. 

Just days before her passing, Newton-John had posted a photo of the two of them in a sweet embrace on Instagram, captioned only “#flashbackfriday” followed by a heart emoji.

In announcing his wife’s death, Easterling described Newton-John as “a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years” before urging the public to donate to her cancer research cause. Because he knew that’s what she would have wanted.

What do you think of Olivia Newton-John’s inspiring journey? How great is it that she was fully supported by the man she loved throughout it? Let us know, and pass this on to family and friends.