Olivia Newton-John will be honoured in a state memorial service at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on Sunday, 26th February. As TV Tonight reports, Channel 9 will broadcast the service, and it will be available to stream online via the Victorian Government’s website. The memorial is expected to run from 4pm to 6pm AEDT.
The service will include tributes from Newton-John’s family and friends, and will feature a performance by Delta Goodrem. Free tickets for the memorial for members of the public were made available last week, and have since all been allocated.
Olivia Newton-John – ‘Magic’
“Dame Olivia Newton-John was an inspiration to many around the world – her work in cancer research and treatment saved lives and changed lives and her music was the soundtrack to a generation,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said in a statement when announcing the memorial earlier this month.
“We know Victorians are eager to celebrate the life of a driving force in medical research and an icon of film and music, with a service befitting her international acclaim.”
Newton-John passed away at the age of 73 in August 2022 at her ranch in Southern California, after a lengthy battle with breast cancer, which recurred in 2017 and was diagnosed as stage IV.
The likes of Kylie Minogue, Elton John, ABBA and Newton-John’s Grease co-star John Travolta were among the many who paid tribute to the singer and actor following her death.
“At Olivia’s deepest essence she was a healer using her mediums of song, of words, of touch,” her husband John Easterling said in a tribute shortly after she passed away. “She was the most courageous woman I’ve ever known.”
Newton-John was honoured with a musical tribute at the 2022 ARIA Awards in November. A medley of the artist’s most memorable songs was led by Natalie Imbruglia, with KYE, Peking Duk and Tones and I – who served as musical director of the medley – also performing.
Further Reading
Baker Boy Cleans Up At The 2022 ARIA Awards: Full Winners List
Olivia Newton-John, Australian Music And Screen Icon, Dies Aged 73
Courtney Barnett, Sleater-Kinney Unite To Cover Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Physical’
