Olivia Newton-John’s Grease co-star Didi Conn reveals the conversation she had with the beloved actress in the weeks leading up to her death: ‘She couldn’t walk’
- Didi Conn, who played Frenchy in Grease, was reflecting on her friend and former co-star Olivia Newton-John after her death
- During an appearance on Good Morning America, Didi, 71, revealed that Olivia told her about her struggling health when they last spoke “a few weeks ago”.
- Conn said Olivia told her they were “not walking anymore” and were under “full-time care”.
- Olivia’s husband John Easterling took to social media on Monday to announce the tragic news that Olivia had lost her battle with cancer
Didi Conn, the actress who played Frenchy in Grease, revealed the conversation she had with friend Olivia Newton-John in the final weeks before her death at the age of 73.
During an appearance on Good Morning America, Didi, 71, revealed that Olivia spoke to her about her ailing health when they spoke “a few weeks ago”.
“She told me her health was not good, you know, she would stop walking and look after her full time, but her husband John and daughter Chloe had been there all the time and she told me that she just being so hopelessly devoted,” she said on the morning show.
‘She stopped walking’: Didi Conn, the actress who played Frenchy in Grease, revealed the conversation she had with friend Olivia Newton-John in the final weeks before her death at the age of 73
Didi also reflected on her friendship with the beloved star and her first impression of the actress when they met on the set of their hit 1978 musical Grease.
She also revealed how she helped Olivia get over her nervousness while filming.
“Gorgeous, perfect, gorgeous,” she said of her first impression. “She was nervous. The first scene we had together – the first day of school – and she told me she’d been in another movie and it wasn’t doing as well as she’d hoped, so I just started improvising with her.
“I said, ‘Oh, I’m so happy. I have a neighbor named Sandy who was from Australia’ and suddenly she looked at me, ‘Is that in the script? here?” We started playing too and before we knew it we walked into Rydell and she thanked me afterwards and she said she would always be grateful for that.’
‘Gorgeous, perfect, gorgeous’: Didi recalled her first impression of the actress when they first met on the set of her hit musical ‘Grease’; Pictured in 1998
Fat is the word! Conn and Newton-John together at the Flamingo Las Vegas in 2015
“My impression of her was a star, I mean, she was a big, big rock star back then,” she said.
Didi said she will always remember her friend for her “big heart”.
“You mentioned two words, love and light, and it so happened that she would sign all her letters and emails that way. “Love and Light, Olivia,” Didi said when asked how she would remember the actress.
“I think I’ll remember her singing. When she gave concerts, she sang “I Honestly Love You” as an encore, holding out her hands to her audience to say, “I honestly love you.”
“And I think that’s how I’ll always remember her — that big heart that just cared so much about everyone. And honestly, we’ll always love her too.’
‘I love you honestly’: Didi said she will always remember her friend for her ‘big heart’; pictured 2015
Olivia’s husband John Easterling took to social media on Monday to announce the tragic news that Olivia had lost her battle with cancer.
“Dame Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully this morning at her Southern California ranch surrounded by family and friends,” he said in a statement.
“We ask everyone to respect the privacy of the family at this very difficult time.
“A symbol of triumph and hope for over 30 years, Olivia shares her journey with breast cancer.
“Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicines continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund dedicated to research into plant medicines and cancer.”