WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The daughter of Olivia Newton-John shared her mother's parting words to her during an interview that aired Friday morning on NBC's "Today" show.
Chloe Lattanzi recalled the last words that the "Grease" actress and musician told her: "My sunshine."
"Right before she lost her ability to speak, she was making jokes," Lattanzi revealed more than six months after Newton-John's death in August 2022 at the age of 73.
NBC's Hoda Kotb also spoke with John Easterling, who reflected on his late wife's final days.
Easterling said Newton-John "had the will power, even in the most difficult times."
Lattanzi spoke about the healing that comes in many forms, especially from all the strangers who shared kind words about her mother and what she meant to them.
"It actually has been a life raft," Lattanzi said. "It has felt like a big hug from the universe."
Newton-John's final recording – a duet with longtime friend Dolly Parton – was also released Friday. Recorded months before Newton-John's death, it's a new rendition of Parton's 1973 song "Jolene."
"It's a gorgeous duet," Easterling said.
Newton-John had been public about her battle with breast cancer, serving as emcee of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in West Palm Beach in 2010.
"You never know what's going to happen in life, but I think that there's always a reason for everything you do and if I hadn't been successful in my world of music and acting, I wouldn't be able to reach people now," she told WPTV at the time.
FROM THE VAULT:
The four-time Grammy Award winner once owned a home in Jupiter Inlet Colony, which was the scene of a 2013 death investigation after Christopher Pariseleti, 41, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while the Australian singer and actress was away. Pariseleti had been making repairs to the home.
Newton-John and Easterling bought the waterfront home at 104 Lighthouse Drive for $4.1 million in 2009. Palm Beach County property records show that it was sold for $5 million in 2016.
