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Sir Cliff Richard recalls final phone call with ‘soulmate’ Dame Olivia Newton-John: ‘I never thought I would be writing this’-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro
‘She was gorgeous, gifted and had a heart of Gold.’
Sir Cliff Richard has remembered his friend of 50 years, Dame Olivia Newton-John (Picture: Redferns)
Cliff Richard has paid tribute to his close friend Dame Olivia Newton-John after her death aged 73.
The musicians had been thick as thieves for decades, with Sir Cliff previously describing her as his ‘soulmate’ when writing in his memoir.
Now Sir Cliff is among the dozens of high-profile celebrities – Dame Olivia’s friends and co-stars – paying tribute to her incredible life.
The mum-of-one died on Monday, ‘peacefully’ and surrounded by family, her husband announced. While her cause of death has not been confirmed, Dame Olivia had lived with breast cancer for 30 years.
She had spent years helping other people diagnosed with the disease through the Olivia Newton-John foundation, with Sir Cliff praising her ‘upbeat’ approach to life.
He also opened up about their final phone call, and admitted he never thought he would be writing a memorial to her just three weeks later.
The musicians have been friends for over 50 years (Picture: Getty Images)
Taking to social media, Sir Cliff began by admitting he was ‘at a loss as to what to say.’
He wrote that death ‘is a vicious enemy and all of us will be taken by him,’ adding: ‘But all us are not taken by him at the same time and so while Olivia remains in our minds and memories, she remains very much alive!!’
Sir Cliff described himself as ‘just one of an army of lucky people who knew and loved’ Dame Olivia, asking: ‘How could we not love her?’
‘She was gorgeous, gifted and had a heart of Gold.
Sir Cliff paid tribute to her ‘golden heart (Picture: WireImage)
‘Also, a bunch of Records that were Gold, but her Golden Heart is is her legacy to us (sic).’
He recalled how, when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer, Dame Olivia ‘put her career on hold for years.’
‘Why? Because she wanted to inspire other sufferers to do as she did… fight the ugly disease, although she said in one interview that she wasn’t in a battle with cancer just that she had something she simply wanted to get rid of!’
He went on: ‘Olivia always had an up-beat approach to life.
The pair were noted for their incredible on-stage chemistry (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Only three weeks ago I was on the phone to her and she was her bright positive self and I never thought for one moment that I would be writing this and acknowledging her death.’
Sir Cliff said he ‘hates’ the word death, and declared: ‘From now on I will only believe that our gorgeous Olivia simply stopped living. I will miss her.
‘The world will miss her, so let’s all keep her alive in our hearts and memories.’
He signed off his last message to his dear friend with the words: ‘God bless you Livvy. Rest in Peace…… Cliff xxx.’
It wasn’t unusual for their on-stage duets to include a kiss or two (Picture: FilmMagic)
Sir Cliff and Dame Olivia have collaborated musically many times over the years, and shared a deep friendship, even kissing on stage as part of their duets.
They first met in 1970, when Dame Olivia was dating Sir Cliff’s The Shadows bandmate Bruce Welch, and though he says in his memoir they were ‘never an item,’ he did admit to being ‘in love’ with her at one point – but she was engaged.
Sir Cliff isn’t the only person with a special connection to Dame Olivia paying tribute to the star, with Dolly Parton writing on social media that she had lost her ‘special friend.’
Dame Olivia is being remembered by her family, friends and fans after her death this week (Picture: Invision/AP)
The Nine to Five singer and Grease star were friends for decades, with Dame Olivia recording a cover version of Parton’s hit Jolene for her album Come On Over.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday night, Parton wrote: ‘So sad to have lost my special friend Olivia Newton-John.
‘So happy that our lives crossed paths.’
Her Grease co-star John Travolta : Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)
She went on to say that Dame Olivia’s ‘voice is singing beautifully with the angels.’
Meanwhile, John Travolta, who played Dame Olivia’s on-screen love interest in Grease, said she made everyone’s lives ‘so much better.’
Sharing an old photo of her, the star, who played Danny Zuko, wrote: ‘My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better.
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‘Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again.’
He signed off with a tear-jerking line: ‘Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!’
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