John Travolta took the stage at the 2023 Oscars to present the ceremony’s In Memoriam segment, and at a reference to Olivia Newton-John, the actor even choked up a little.
“Each of them left an individual, and indelible mark that shared and informed us,” Travolta said on stage. “They’ve touched our hearts, they’ve made us smile, and became dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to.” The phrase “hopelessly devoted,” in case you haven’t seen the film in a while, is a reference to a ballad sung by Newton-John in Grease, which costarred she and Travolta as love-lorn teens. At this moment in his speech, Travolta appeared to tear up as the audience murmured supportively. (See the clip here.)
Newton-John died on August 8 at age 73, following a 30-year battle with breast cancer, according to the Hollywood Reporter. She and Travolta remained friends for the rest of their lives after meeting on the set of Grease in 1978. “We were together not that long ago, about three months ago, and we text each other all the time,” Travolta told Us Weekly in 2019. “It’s wonderful. … If I go to see her in her show, we go backstage and hang out, and I watch the show and all that. If I go to see her personally, we usually have dinner and catch up.”
John Travolta may not have mentioned Newton-John by name at the 2023 Oscars, but there’s no doubt about who he meant by the dear friend he’ll always remain hopelessly devoted to.
