Olivia Newton-John’s death “wasn’t a shock” to her family members as she “struggled in a lot of pain,” her niece revealed.
“It wasn’t just the cancer that got her, it was other complications, because she was in a hospital and with a very sensitive immune system,” Totti Goldsmith told Australia’s 9 Now News on Tuesday. “She got secondary infections. She really went down in the last five or six days.”
Goldsmith added that the ‘Grease’ star was in a lot of pain because the cannabinoids she once took for relief were no longer working.
“It really helped her, but later it wasn’t enough,” Goldsmith said, adding that her aunt, “really struggled with a lot of pain.”
“It’s not a shock, we know how sick she has been, especially the last five days,” added the Melbourne resident of the singer’s death.
“John [Easterling]her husband, kept us updated and I talked to the lovely [daughter] Chloe a lot.”
“I couldn’t get to America in time and I wanted to say goodbye, so I asked him if he could hold the phone to her ear, but he got me on Facetime so I could see her,” Goldsmith continued.
“I told her everything I had to say. She left us… but I felt she got it.’
Newton-John’s friend and “Grease” co-star Didi Conn also revealed that the actress told her shortly before her death that she was “not walking anymore and she was in full-time care.”
“Her husband, John, and her daughter, Chloe, were there the whole time and she told me they were so hopelessly devoted,” the actress, who played Frenchy, told Good Morning America on Tuesday.
In addition to her husband, daughter and niece, Newton-John is survived by sister Sarah Newton-John, brother Toby Newton-John and several other relatives.