Didi Conn, the actress who played Frenchy on Grease, revealed the conversation she had with her friend Olivia Newton-John in the final weeks before her passing at age 73.
During an appearance on Good Morning America, Didi, 71, revealed Olivia opened up to her about her ailing health when they spoke ‘a couple of weeks ago.’
‘She told me that her health was, you know, she wasn’t walking anymore and she had full-time care but her husband John and her daughter Chloe were there all the time, and she told me that they were just so hopelessly devoted,’ she said on the morning show.
In another interview with The Mirror Conn said: ‘Last time I was in contact with Olivia was by text and I said, ‘I hope you know you’re in my heart, always’.
‘And she wrote back, “And you are in mine”. That was our last message on July 5th.
‘Olivia’s death feels so personal to me and so many other people because she cared so much. Her heart was so big.’
‘She wasn’t walking anymore’: Didi Conn, the actress who played Frenchy on Grease, revealed the conversation she had with her friend Olivia Newton-John in the final weeks before her passing at age 73
Didi also reflected on her friendship with the beloved star and her first impression of the actress when they met on the set of their hit 1978 musical Grease.
She also revealed how she helped Olivia overcome filming jitters.
‘Gorgeous, perfect, gorgeous,’ she said of her first impression. ‘She was nervous. The first scene we had together – coming on the first day of school – and she told me, she had been in another movie and it didn’t go as well as she had hoped, so I just began improvising with her.
‘I said, “Oh, I’m so happy. I have a neighbor named Sandy who came from Australia” and we just, you know, all of a sudden she’s looking at me like, “Is this in the script? What’s going on here?” We started to play too and before we knew it, we were walking into Rydell and she thanked me afterwards and she said she would always be grateful for that.’
‘Gorgeous, perfect, gorgeous’: Didi recalled her first impression of the actress when they first met on the set of their hit musical Grease; pictured in 1998
Grease is the word! Conn and Newton-John together at the Flamingo Las Vegas in 2015
‘My impression of her was a star, I mean she was a big, big rock star at the time,’ she said.
Didi said she will always remember her friend for her ‘big heart.’
‘You’ve been mentioning two words, love and light, and it just so happens that’s how she would sign all her letters and her emails. “Love and Light, Olivia,”‘ Didi said when asked how she would remember the actress.
‘I think I will remember her singing. When she’d be doing concerts, she would sing as her encore, I Honestly Love You, and she would put her hands out like this to her audience to say, “I honestly love you.”
‘And I think that’s how I’ll always remember her – this big heart who just cared so much for everybody. And we will honestly always love her too.’
‘I honestly love you’: Didi said she will always remember her friend for her ‘big heart’; pictured 2015
Olivia’s husband John Easterling announced the tragic news that Olivia had lost her battle with cancer on social media on Monday.
‘Dame Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,’ he said in a statement.
‘We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.
‘Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.
‘Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.’
