^^Oh man, even though her diagnosis was no secret, this is such sad news.

My favorite

 

 

Just now, dragonflies said:

My favorite

 

 

I loved it too!

 

Wow she was one of those people I thought would live forever, She had what 3 cycles of cancer.   She was incredibly brave and her husband grew marijuana on their ranch for her. It seemed to help her.  I saw her interviewed about 2 months ago and she seemed her usual perky self.  

Such a lovely kind unbelievably talented woman. She will be missed. One of my favorite performances of hers with Jim Brickman.

 

You have to believe we are magic…. Nothing can stand in our way!

RIP Sweet Olivia 💔😢

 

What I love about her was that she just sang a song. She didn’t need to go over the top with theatrics or over the top adlibs. She sang purely from her heart and that always showed.

She was also a trailblazer in her time for women in pop who didn’t want to stay in just one lane. She went from country, to films, to pop, and was also able to take advantage of the early days of MTV.

1 hour ago, AbcNbc247 said:

 

As someone that has worked on a production of GREASE in college, yeeeeah that hits hard.

 

Damn.

RIP

 

 

Lynda Carter:

Wishing you peace on your journey. I will miss you my dear friend.

1 hour ago, dragonflies said:

My favorite

 

 

Just a beautiful performance for which she will be well remembered. 

Anyone who is a Tina Turner fan should also say 'thank you' to Olivia: she is the one who introduced Tina to her manager, Roger Davies. 

42 minutes ago, Taoboi said:

As someone that has worked on a production of GREASE in college, yeeeeah that hits hard.

 

Damn.

RIP

 

 

I was in a production of Grease as well so I know exactly what you mean. Anyone who played 'Sandy' knew who they had to live up to. 

As @BetterForgotten mentioned,  Olivia was very much a challenger  of conventional wisdom. She found fame in the  US through country music at a time when "others" (even blonde and blue-eyed women) were seen as a threat. She took splashy roles  in movie musicals when this is so often seen as a huge mistake for singers. She moved into a blatantly sexual role (while still keeping her dignity, somehow) at a time when America was rapidly retreating from sexual freedom and positivity. Yet all of this worked. Even what was seen as a failure at the time, like Xanadu, became a cult favorite. 

Olivia didn't really have as many current successes after the early/mid '80s, so it would be easy to just remember her for Sandy (a just about impossibly sugary part she made sincere and likeable) or for a few great '70s pop hits, but she had an enduring appeal, one of those people you almost never heard a bad word about. She outlived an entire industry of sneering that loved to remind us that unless you were contorting yourself in trying to Make a  Statement and Say Something, you were worthless. She was a quietly confident figure who conquered and left a lasting impact by being herself and knowing what worked for her. In an industry where, to this day, so many artists prostitute and degrade themselves chasing the next trend, she was an example of the power of what you can be if you just trust yourself and find people around you who share that trust.

Condolences from other women in pop:

Kylie Minogue: https://www.instagram.com/p/ChA8Yvltrdd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Barbra Streisand: https://www.instagram.com/p/ChArKlmjhK1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link  

Madonna's IG Story (with their scene from 'Truth or Dare'):

 

Edited August 9, 20223 yr by BetterForgotten

 

3 hours ago, DaytimeFan said:

I was in a production of Grease as well so I know exactly what you mean. Anyone who played 'Sandy' knew who they had to live up to. 

Just thinking about the memories is making my eyes water. True words.