Pink Ladies Stockard Channing and Dinah Manoff remember Olivia Newton-John

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By Phoebe Egoroff

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Olivia Newton-John tributes have been flooding social media after it was announced that the beloved star had died following her battle with cancer on Monday.

The Australian actor is perhaps best known for her memorable portrayal of naïve high schooler Sandy Olsson in the 1978 movie, Grease - a role that made Newton-John a household name all around the world.

Sadly, Newton-John's husband, John Easterling, announced in a statement that his wife had passed away at her California ranch on Monday morning.

Per BBC News, the statement read: "Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer."

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Stockard Channing and Dinah Manoff played Pink Ladies, Betty and Marty, in the cult-favorite Grease. Credit: Allstar Picture Library Limited. / Alamy

Following the heartbreaking news, two of Grease's iconic Pink Ladies have shared touching memories and tributes tp the Grammy winner.

Stockard Channing, who played Betty Rizzo, told People magazine: "I don’t know if I’ve known a lovelier human being.

"Olivia was the essence of summer – her sunniness, her warmth and her grace are what always come to mind when I think of her. I will miss her enormously."

"As many will tell you, Olivia Newton-John was one of the kindest, most generous souls ever to grace the earth, and I was one lucky Pink Lady to have spent time with her during the filming of Grease," said Dinah Manoff, who portrayed Marty Maraschino in the film.

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Credit: MARKA / Alamy

And they weren't the only Grease stars to pay tribute to Newton-John.

Barry Pearl, who played T-Bird member Doody in the popular musical, spoke to BBC Radio 4 about his endearing friendship with Newton-John. He revealed that he felt compelled to reach out to her only a week ago, after hearing her health was failing.

"I took it upon myself to write to her, as we would occasionally share emails amongst each other and [with] the other Grease-er pals too," Pearl said during the radio interview.

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Pearl alongside Newton-John in Grease. Credit: LANDMARK MEDIA / Alamy

He added: "She would always sign her emails, ‘With love and light, Olivia.’ And I wrote to her – basically, if you read between the lines she would be able to tell that I knew there was something going on – and I basically said that, ‘On your journey forward, simply know that you, Olivia , are the love and the light.'"

An emotional tribute was also shared on Instagram by John Travolta, who posted a sweet photo of Newton-John to his 4.2 million followers.

Alongside the image was a heartfelt caption that read: "My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!"

Easterling also confirmed that Newton-John had passed away peacefully "surrounded by family and friends".

Newton-John's family has been offered a funeral by the Australian state of Victoria, where she grew up. Daniel Andrews, the state's premier, said the funeral would be to commemorate and celebrate Newton-John's "amazing achievements."

Our thoughts continue to go out to Newton-John's family, friends, and fans at this time.

Featured image credit: The Photo Access / Alamy