The Queen Loved Getting Physical
So much so she bestowed damehood upon the late, great Olivia Newton-John
Yesterday the vivacious Olivia Newton-John, that Australian siren who single-handedly taught three generations of women that girls in poodle skirts may go to heaven but girls with cigarettes get to French guys like Danny Zuko, died after a 30-year battle with breast cancer. In addition to her star-making role as Sandy in Grease and as Kira in Xanadu two years later, she also funded a cancer research center in Melbourne and inspired all of us to keep that body tight as hell with her enduring aerobics anthem “Physical.” This week, all of us here at Gawker salute a true star.
In my opinion? The only person on Earth more accomplished than Newton-John, besides maybe Pitbull, is the Queen of England. And it looks like old Lil sensed a kind of synergy between herself and the late gay icon, granting her multiple honors throughout her life that made one thing clear: Game recognize game.
In Newton-John’s husband John Easterling’s announcement of her death, he referred to his late love as “Dame Olivia Newton-John.” According to People, in 2020 the Queen bestowed upon Newton-John the highest honor any citizen can hold. Born in the UK and raised in Australia, she “officially became a dame at the 2020 New Years Honours Services. She received the honor, which is the female equivalent of a knight, for her services to charity, cancer research and entertainment from Queen Elizabeth.”
People also reported, “Before becoming a dame, Newton-John was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1979 New Year Honours. She received the award from Queen Elizabeth during an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in March 1979, proudly holding it up for photos following the event.”
In June 2019, she received a similar honor down under, the Companion of the Order of Australia.
What a life. To put it in her parlance: There’s nothing left to talk about unless it’s horizontally. Cool down’s over, legend, and we hope you’re finally resting in peace. As for her number one fan Queen Lil, these days she’s only getting physical in the privacy of her Scottish getaway.
