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It’s been two days since the legendary Grease star Olivia Newton-John passed away at the age of 73 after a thirty year battle with cancer. Now, sad details have emerged about Newton-John’s final days, as her niece has revealed that she was suffering before her death. 

Backstory: Olivia Newton-John Dies At 73 – John Travolta Honors Her

Inside Newton-John’s Final Days

Daily Mail reported that Tottie Goldsmith said the day after Newton-John’s death that her aunt was “really skinny and unwell” in the days before her passing.

“It’s not a shock, we’ve known how sick she’s been, especially in the last five days,” Goldsmith, 59, said in an interview as she became visibly emotional.

Goldsmith, who lives in Australia, went on to talk about her final time communicating with Newton-John, who passed away at her home in California. 

“I couldn’t get to America in time and I wanted to say goodbye, so I asked [her husband John Easterling] if he could hold the phone up to her ear,” she said. “But he got me on FaceTime so I managed to see her.”

“I told her all the things I needed to say,” Goldsmith continued. “She was leaving us… but I feel like she got it.”

Newton-John’s Brutal Cancer Battle

Goldsmith went on to talk about Newton-John’s brutal cancer battle, which went on for three decades.

“There was one day at the Olivia Newtown John Centre and she was really skinny and unwell and I said to her, ‘Are you afraid of dying,’ and she said, ‘Plonker, I’m not afraid. I’ve done more in my life that I could have ever imagined,'” she recalled.

“She’s struggled with a lot of pain and it’s been a tough road,” Goldsmith added. “It wasn’t just the cancer that got her. It was other complications and being in a hospital with a very susceptible immune system.”

Related: Olivia Newton-John Gives Fans Devastating Cancer Update

Check out Goldsmith’s full comments on this in the video below.

What Was Newton-John Most Proud Of?

When asked what Newton-John was most proud of in her life, Goldsmith immediately said “Chloe” with no hesitation, referring to the star’s 36 year-old daughter Chloe Lattanzi.

“She loved that girl so much,” she said. “Chloe’s doing it really tough, but she’s been amazing.”

Goldsmith concluded the interview by saying that her family will be accepting Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ offer of a state funeral for Newton-John to celebrate her incredible life. Goldsmith, who is the daughter of Newton-John’s sister Rona, is known in Australia herself for being in the pop group Chantoozies, which had some hits down under in the 1980s and early 1990s.  

Newton-John’s Comments On Cancer

Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer back in 1992 at the age of 44, and while she beat it successfully twice, it came back for a third time in 2017, when she was told that it had metastasized this time and spread to her bones.

“I don’t see it as a battle. I don’t think about it a lot, to be honest,” she said in the years after this diagnosis. “Denial is a really good thing and I’m getting stronger and better all the time! I am doing well!…I am feeling wonderful. I’m winning over and living with it well and that’s how I see it.”

Newton-John died on Monday morning at her home in California surrounded by her family and friends. May she rest in peace after a long, hard battle, and an extraordinary life. 

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