‘Grief, I’ve Learned, Is Really Just Love’

Olivia Newton-John died on Aug. 8, five years after she was first diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer

Chloe Lattanzi is thinking of her late mother Olivia Newton-John.

Two weeks after the Grease star died, her 36-year-old daughter shared a moving quote on Instagram about life and loss.

“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love,” the quote from Jamie Anderson began. “It’s all the love you want to give, but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat and in that hollow part of your chest.

“Grief is just love with no place to go,” it concluded. Lattanzi captioned the quote, posted on a floral background, with a simple red heart emoji.

Newton-John died on Aug. 8 at age 73, five years after she announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer which had metastasized to the sacrum.

One of the first stars to publicly share their health crises, the four-time Grammy Award winner revealed in 1992 her first diagnosis with breast cancer. Her journey — which included a partial mastectomy, chemotherapy and breast reconstruction — ultimately lead to the creation of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Melbourne. In the decades since, Newton-John became an advocate for cancer awareness and research.

This is not the first time that Chloe, whom Newton-John shares with ex-husband Matt Lattanzi, has opened up on social media about her mother.

The day after Newton-John died, the actress and singer’s only child shared footage on Instagram of her and her mom recording their duet “Window in the Wall,” which they released as a single in January 2021.

The footage shows the close bond the mother and daughter shared, with the two almost always shown standing or sitting right next to each other while on camera.

“You are my lighthouse mama. My safe place. My heart space,” Lattanzi wrote in the post’s caption. “It has been my honor and continues to be my honor to be your baby and best friend. You are an angel on earth and everyone touched by you has been blessed.”

“I love you forever my life giver, my teacher, my mama,” she added.

Hours after Newton-John’s death was announced, Lattanzi posted a series of sweet photos with herself and the “Physical” singer through the years.

The carousel began with a throwback of Lattanzi, as a little girl, adorably grabbing her mother’s face for a kiss, and ends with more recent photos of the pair.

In May 2017, Newton-John shared that she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer that had spread to her back.

In an interview with PEOPLE in February 2021, Newton-John told PEOPLE how Lattanzi being by her side helped her during her tough journey.

“I’m so lucky to still be doing all these things,” Newton-John told PEOPLE of attending Lattanzi’s wedding and releasing “Window in the Wall” at the time. “I don’t think I imagined living this long! I feel very blessed.”

Though they always shared a tight bond, Newton-John and Lattanzi became even closer as they quarantined together in California during the coronavirus pandemic. Lattanzi eventually moved to Portland, Oregon, but revealed in late July that she had moved back to be near Newton-John.
[via]