Olivia Newton-John’s celebrity friends rushed to offer their support in the hours after the Aussie star revealed she was battling cancer for the second time.
The singer’s manager announced on Facebook overnight that “the back pain that initially caused [Newton-John] to postpone the first half of her concert tour, has turned out to be breast cancer that has metastasized to the sacrum”.
Newton-John, who fought breast cancer in 1992, had cancelled concerts in the US and Canada earlier this month.
Speaking on the Today Show shortly after the news broke, host Richard Wilkins was teary as he called the Xanadu and Grease star “a wonderful person” and sent her his love.
“Sad news this morning and spare a thought for the gorgeous Olivia Newton-John,” he said.
Meanwhile, actor Paul Hogan told rival Sunrise that the announcement was “a tragedy”.
And former presenter Kerri-Anne Kennerley told Sunrise that the singer had been one of her greatest supports when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012.
“She went to her out of her way to get my number, and every time she came back to Australia, every couple of weeks, she would text me or call me to see how I was going,” Kennerley recalled.
Singer Delta Goodrem, who has also beaten cancer and recorded a song with Newton-John, with the proceeds going to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre, wrote on Instagram that she was sending her “hero, friend and mentor” her love and support.
“If there is one person that embodies hope and healing it’s Olivia. She is one of the world’s kindest and most giving humans and I send you all my love and well wishes,” Goodrem wrote.
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Music guru Molly Meldrum and singer Tina Arena also paid tribute to their friend in interviews with news.com.au, with Meldrum calling Newton-John “one of the nicest people in the industry, and one of the most talented”.