'Grease' star Olivia Newton-John dies of breast cancer at 73

Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Olivia Newton-John, the singer-songwriter who starred in the movie musical Grease, has died from breast cancer. She was 73.

Her death was announced on her Instagram by her husband, John Easterling, who said the four-time Grammy Award winner died "peacefully" at her ranch in southern California on Monday morning while surrounded by her family and friends.

"Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer," Easterling said.

"Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer."

Easterling asked that donations be made to her foundation in lieu of flowers.

Among her survivors are her daughter Chloe Lattanzi, her sister Sarah Newton-John and brother Toby Newton-John.

Newton-John became an international hit with the release of her first solo album If Not For You in 1971 and she earned her first Grammy for her follow-up single "Let Me Be There" in 1973. The next year, she won the Grammy's prestigious Record of the Year award for I Honestly Love You and won two more Grammy Awards in her lengthy career.

Newton-John was later cast to star as Sandy in the 1978 film Grease opposite John Travolta, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe, and followed that up with other films including Xanadu in 1980.

In 1981, her biggest hit "Physical" and its accompanying Grammy-winning music video topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 10 weeks straight. The song has since been covered and interpolated by dozens of artists including Kylie Minogue and Doja Cat.

Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, causing her to cancel a tour at the time. Her cancer went into remission but briefly came back in 2013 before it went back into remission.

She announced in May 2017 that she was once again diagnosed with breast cancer, which had metastasized to the sacrum and that she would be completing radiation therapy as well as natural wellness therapies.