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| Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta as Sandy and Danny in Grease |
John Travolta has led the tributes to his Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John, who has died from cancer at the age of 73.
Travolta, who played Danny opposite Newton-John's Sandy in the will they/won't they musical romance, wrote on Instagram: "My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!"
Stockard Channing, who played Rizzo in the musical, also paid tribute, saying: "I don't know if I've known a lovelier human being. Olivia was the essence of summer - her sunniness, her warmth and her grace are what always come to mind when I think of her. I will miss her enormously."
And the film's director Randal Kleiser said: "She was charming, lovely, warm... There are so many clichés you can say about her, but in her case it was all true."
Although Newton-John's subsequent film Xanadu flopped at the box office, Grease had cemented her name among millions of fans and propelled her to a successful music career that saw her leave behind her country music roots in favour of pop.
Her career was hit by breast cancer and Newton-John subsequently became a humanitarian and health advocate, supporting a number of cancer charities and campaigning for the medical use of cannabis for use in pain relief. She was appointed a Dame in 2020 in recognition of her charity work.
The British-born Australian singer and actress died at her ranch in California surrounded by friends.
In a statement via her social networks, Newton-John's husband John Easterling said she had died on Monday, hailing her "a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years, sharing her journey with breast cancer".
