By Drew Weisholtz -
TODAY
American actress and singer Olivia Newton-John, who rose to fame after her role in the hit musical
Grease
, kept her sense of humor until her death, her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, said.
"The last words he said to me were: 'My sun,'"
Lattanzi recounted in the first television interview he gave since his mother's death on August 8, 2022. Olivia Newton-John's daughter and her widow, John Easterling, spoke with journalist Hoda Kotb, of the morning program Today, of NBC News, the sister network of Noticias Telemundo.
[Actress Olivia Newton-John dies at 73 on her California ranch]
In the interview, which was broadcast on February 17, both recounted that "just before losing the ability to speak, (Newton-John) kept making jokes."
Newton-John underwent multiple treatments for breast cancer before dying at age 73.
Lattanzi, daughter of the singer's marriage to Matt Lattanzi, assures that her mother was a very special person for her and for her fans.
“I love my mom more than anything
,” she said, her voice cracking.
“She is my mother, you know?
She's not Olivia Newton-John to me, but I'm so glad she was to so many people."
Chloe Lattanzi and her mother, singer and actress Olivia Newton-John in a 2015 file photo in Las Vegas, Nevada.Bryan Steffy/WireImage
Newton-John won four Grammy Awards and became a sensation after starring in Grease
opposite
John Travolta.
This February 17, a version of the country song
Jolene
was released , which he recorded in collaboration with his author, singer Dolly Parton.
Lattanzi says the support she has received from her mother's fans has helped her deal with the loss.
“It has actually been a lifeboat.
It has felt like a big hug from the universe,” she said.
"And I'm so thankful for all the people who reached out to us and extended their hearts and their connection."
[Queen Elizabeth II, Pelé, Olivia Newton-John, Pablo Milanés and other personalities who said goodbye in 2022]
Easterling, who married Newton-John in 2008, also said he was grateful to have been a part of the singer's life.
“Every day I miss Olivia terribly.
And yet, every day I am so grateful to have spent 15 wonderful years with an extraordinary person,” he said.
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Easterling, who said she still speaks aloud to Newton-John, said she was a beacon of hope until her death.
“She had the willpower, even in the most difficult moments
, to bring light and love,” she stated.
"And she remained herself until the end."
The singer's widower also said how he has found the strength to carry on after the loss of his partner.
“A man I flew with told me, 'You know, John,
when you're lucky enough to have found your true soul mate
, and you share a heart, when one passes away, the other has an obligation to live life for the rest of the world. two,'" he said.
“And that was very empowering and very powerful for me, and it gave me a purpose,” he said.