Olivia Newton-John’s death “didn’t come as a shock” to her family members because she was “struggling with a lot of pain,” revealed her niece.
“It wasn’t just the cancer that got her, there were other complications of being in a hospital and with a very vulnerable immune system,” Totti Goldsmith told Australia’s 9 Now News on Tuesday. “She got secondary infections. It’s really gone under in the last five, six days.”
Goldsmith added that the “Grease” star is in a lot of pain because the cannabinoids she used to take for relief are no longer working.
Olivia Newton-John’s niece revealed the actress was in excruciating pain days before her death. tottiegoldsmith/Instagram
“It really helped her, but later it wasn’t enough,” Goldsmith said, adding that her aunt was “really dealing with a lot of pain.”
“It’s not a shock, we know how ill she has been, especially for the past five days,” the Melbourne resident added of the singer’s death.
“John [Easterling]her husband kept us up to date and I spoke to the beautiful woman [daughter] Chloe a lot.”
Goldsmith managed to speak to the actress before she died, WireImage
“I couldn’t make it to America in time and wanted to say goodbye, so I asked him if he could put the phone to her ear, but he put me on Facetime so I could see her,” Goldsmith continued.
“I told her everything I had to say. She left us… but I felt like she understood.”
“I told her everything I had to say. She left us … but I felt like she understood,” Goldsmith recalled. WireImage
Newton-John’s friend and “Grease” co-star Didi Conn also revealed that shortly before her death, the actress told her that she “couldn’t walk anymore and that she has full-time care.”
“Her husband John and daughter Chloe were there all the time and she told me they were just so hopelessly devoted,” the actress, who played Frenchy, told Good Morning America on Tuesday.
In addition to her husband, daughter and niece, Newton-John is survived by her sister Sarah Newton-John, brother Toby Newton-John and several other family members.