Tears flowed at a moving memorial service for Australian singing legend Olivia Newton-John on Sunday.
Delta Goodrem first broke down on the orange carpet at Hamer Hall in Melbourne, ahead of a special performance, as she spoke about why the late star was so special to her.
“It’s beautiful to see everybody,” Goodrem said.
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“It’s beautiful,” the star continued, becoming overwhelmed. “Sorry.”
“I’m so happy to see everybody coming together on a day to celebrate someone who touched all of our lives,” she said when asked why she was so emotional. “I think that’s really what it is.”
“Being able to honour and celebrate Olivia is incredibly special.
“I think it’s really important to everybody for healing. Even the fact that it’s meant to be in this moment now. I think for however long it took to be able to come together, this is the moment it’s meant to be so we can all, as Australians - and around the world - all be able to unite together,” she added.
“We all want to have a tear together and talk about how much we love her and how much we appreciate her touching all of our lives.
“I deeply loved Olivia, the woman and the icon, Goodrem continued.
“Our soul was brought together through music - as well as our health journey - but it was singing with her that was the thing we both loved so much.”
Newton-John died aged 73 after a long battle with breast cancer in August last year - Goodrem was memorably diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at just 18 years old, in 2003.
Later, during the service, Newton-John’s husband John Easterling also became emotional as he paid tribute to his late wife.
During his speech, Easterling recalled a time he and Newton-John were in Prague together after he had asked her to be “his girl”.
During the trip, the pair talked about some “hard times” they had experienced in their lives previously.
“We were talking about how lucky we were to have found each other,” he said, his voice breaking.
“And how in love we were. And how much happiness we were experiencing.
“I mean in order of magnitude, we thought maybe we should feel guilty because we were so happy. But we decided, we feel gratitude and just let the happiness run at full throttle.”
“I carry and feel Olivia’s presence, her sense of humour and her spirit of adventure, commonality of purpose that we shared,” Easterling said later.
“That gives me the strength to carry on until I find her again in that ultimate space of love and light.”
During his speech, he also spoke of a poignant moment that happened two nights after his wife had died, where he felt her presence - as if she was laying her hand on his body.
“These are the words that fell from my heart: “Olivia, our love for each other transcends our understanding. Every day we expressed our gratitude for this love that could be so deep, so real, so natural,” he said.
“Olivia’s deepest essence she was a healer. Using her mediums of song, word and touch. She was the most courageous woman I have ever met. And her bandwidth for genuinely caring about people, about animals and creatures of all kinds, eclipses almost what is humanly possible.”
Easterling concluded his speech: “At her most difficult times she always had the spirit, the humour and willpower to move things into the light. And as her spirit soars, the pain and holes in my heart are healed by the joy of her love and that light which shines forward. Onward.”
Earlier on Sunday, entertainment journalist Peter Ford said that while it was unusual to have a state memorial so long after Newton-John’s death, “the family weren’t ready for it” before now.
“It was too much too soon,” he said, adding that the new timing meant the event didn’t “have to be so much about grief and loss” but rather a celebration of Newton John’s life.
Among guests to attend the ceremony was Patti Newton - the widow of the late Bert Newton.
“I think we all know we are going to miss her terribly but I think she would want us to be celebrating her,” Newton said.
The public farewell for the beloved Grease and Xanadu was streamed live on Channel 7 and 7plus.
Some of the stars and friends who paid video tributes to Newton-John during the service included Elton John, Dolly Parton, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey, Pink and RuPaul.
Those in the audience for the service included Dannii Minogue, Molly Meldrum Olivia’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi and extended family and friends.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also attended.
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https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMieWh0dHBzOi8vN25ld3MuY29tLmF1L2VudGVydGFpbm1lbnQvN3BsdXMvb2xpdmlhLW5ld3Rvbi1qb2huLW1lbW9yaWFsLWRlbHRhLWdvb2RyZW0tYnJlYWtzLWRvd24tb24tb3JhbmdlLWNhcnBldC1jLTk4NzQyNTnSAX1odHRwczovLzduZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9lbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50LzdwbHVzL29saXZpYS1uZXd0b24tam9obi1tZW1vcmlhbC1kZWx0YS1nb29kcmVtLWJyZWFrcy1kb3duLW9uLW9yYW5nZS1jYXJwZXQtYy05ODc0MjU5LmFtcA?oc=5
2023-02-26 07:11:00Z
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