Today, Olivia Newton-John’s final recording—a duet of “Jolene”, with Dolly Parton—was released today.
Her widower and daughter have also recently spoken to Today about the massive hole their wife and mother left behind, both in their personal lives and the cultural fabric.
Her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, said in interview with Hoda Kotb, said, “I love my mom more than anything. She’s my mama, you know? She’s not Olivia Newton-John to me, but I’m so glad that she was Olivia Newton-John for so many people.”
Even so, Lattanzi appreciates that so many people admired her late mother.
“It actually has been a life raft. It has felt like a big hug from the universe,” she said. “And I’m very grateful for all of the people who reached out to us and extended their heart and their connection.”
John Easterling, Newton-John’s widower, had a similarly powerful sentiment to share with Kotb,
“A guy I was flying with said, ‘You know, John, when you’re lucky enough to have found your true soul mate, and you share a heart, when one passes, the other has the obligation to live life for both.’ And that was very empowering and very powerful for me, and, you know, and gave a way forward.”
In an Instagram post to announce her passing, Westerling wrote,
“Our love for each other transcends our understanding. Every day we expressed our gratitude for this love that could be so deep, so real, so natural. We never had to ‘work’ on it. We were in awe of this great mystery and accepted the experience of our love as past, present and forever.”
Sources:
Olivia Newton-John (@therealonj) • Instagram photos and videos
Exclusive: Olivia Newton-John’s widower says he continues to ‘speak to her out loud’ (today.com)
Olivia Newton-John’s Daughter Shares Her Mom’s Final Words to Her (today.com)
