Country Artists React To The Death Of Olivia Newton-John
(Left) Keith Urban / Instagram / (Right) Deana Carter / Instagram
Olivia Newton-John was the true definition of a crossover artist. She released songs of all styles, and charted hits in multiple genres.
Newton-John’s influence in the country music community was strong. She earned seven Top 10 Billboard Hot Country chart singles and won the Female Vocalist of the Year award from the CMA in 1974.
Beyond her music career, Newton-John was beloved for playing Sandy in the 1978 musical film, Grease.
Newton-John died on Monday (August 8) following her third battle against cancer. She was 73 years old. Her husband, John Easterling, shared the news on the star’s official social media pages.
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Many country artists took to social media to share tributes to Newton-John after learning about her death. We’ve included some of those tributes in this list for you to read below.
Keith Urban
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Kelsea Ballerini
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Morgan Evans
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Kenny Rogers’ Team
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Wynonna Judd
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Georgette Jones
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Lee Greenwood
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Marie Osmond
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Deana Carter
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Tanya Tucker
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One of the most meaningful tributes came from dancer, actress, and singer Julianne Hough. Like Newton-John, Hough had the opportunity to play Sandy in a production of Grease. In Hough’s case, she played Sandy in the 2016 televised special Grease Live!
It meant the world to Hough that she was chosen for the role, since Newton-John was always a “hero” of hers. After Newton-John died, Hough shared a touching tribute to her, writing:
“Like so many, Olivia has always been my hero. Discovering her magnetic energy as an artist and actress came first but it was her heart that truly captured mine. Forever an icon and legend!“
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Hough also shared a video of herself performing “Hopelessly Devoted to You” in Grease Live!, a song which Newton-John sang in the original Grease film. Hough said she feels “forever honored” she got the chance to sing that song.
Watch Hough’s performance in the video below.
We too, join all of these country artists in mourning Newton-John’s death. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who loved her.
