How old was Olivia Newton-John when she starred in Grease and who is her husband?-Caroline Westbrook-Entertainment – Metro

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were just a little older than their characters in Grease (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)

The celebrity world has been mourning the death of Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John, best known for playing Sandy in classic musical Grease, alongside John Travolta.

The Danny Zuko actor led the tributes for his late co-star as everyone from Kylie Minogue to Nicole Kidman and Mariah Carey shared their memories of the Xanadu singer and sent their best wishes to her family.

Grease was of course released in 1978 and is one of the best-loved screen musicals of all time – but just how old was Dame Olivia Newton-John when she starred alongside John Travolta as the wholesome Sandy?

Here’s what you need to know…

How old was Olivia Newton-John when she starred in Grease?

Olivia Newton-John was born on September 26, 1948 – meaning she was 73 when she died on August 8, 2022.

Despite playing a high school student in Grease, she actually turned 29 during the filming of the movie in 1977.

Someone has snapped up Sandy’s iconic leather jacket (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)

She won the role after meeting producer Allan Carr at a dinner party – with the movie going on to become the biggest box office hit of 1978, spawing the number one singles You’re The One That I Want and Summer Nights.

The role of Sandy was also changed to accommodate Newton-John – who was born in the UK but grew up in Australia after her family emigrated there when she was a child – by making the character Australian instead of American as she had been in the stage production.

While she might have been rather older than her character, Newton-John wasn’t the only one in the film who was past high school age.

Actress Stockard Channing was 33 when she took on the role of Rizzo, Jamie Donnelly (who played Jan) was 30, Jeff Conaway (Kenickie) was 26 and Frenchie actress Didi Conn was 25.

John Travolta, meanwhile, was 23 when he played Danny.

Who is Olivia Newton-John’s husband?

Olivia married second husband John Easterling in 2008 (Picture: Getty Images)

The singer and actress was married to John Easterling, whom she wed in 2008.

‘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,’ she told People magazine back in 2016.

Olivia’s daughter Chloe Rose Lattanzi is from her first marriage, to Matt Lattanzi (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)

Newton-John was previously married to Matt Lattanzi in 1984 but they split in 1995.

She has a daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, from her marriage to Matt – with the pair recently sharing a photoshoot together after Chloe – who is also a singer and actress.

Chloe, 36, took to Instagram on Tuesday where she shared some touching photographs of her and her mother throughout the years, including one of her mother holding her as a baby while the pair were at the beach.

MORE : Dame Olivia Newton-John’s caring advice for Grease co-star whose cat had cancer: ‘She was always there for us’

MORE : Dame Olivia Newton-John’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, pays heart-wrenching tribute to mum and ‘best friend’ after death aged 73

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