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John Travolta chokes up while honoring Olivia Newton-John at Oscars

March 13, 2023 | | Print Article

An emotional John Travolta chocked up while introducing the “In Memoriam” segment at the 2023 Oscars on Sunday night — the  segment featured a performance by Lenny Kravitz and comes just seven months after the death of Olivia Newton-John, who co-starred with the actor in the 1978 hit movie “Grease.”

“In this industry, we have the rare luxury of getting to do what we love for a living and, sometimes, getting to do it with people that we come to love,” Travolta said from the Dolby Theatre stage, in Los Angeles. “And since tonight is a celebration of the work and the accomplishments of our community in this past year, it is only fitting that we celebrate those we’ve lost who dedicated their lives to their craft, both in front of and behind the camera.”

“They’ve touched our hearts,” the actor added, as tears began to well up. “They made us smile and became dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to.”

Travolta did not name his former costar, but Newton-John’s name was the first name displayed on stage. She died at her ranch in Santa Ynez, California, on the morning of August 8, 2022, after a long battle with breast cancer.

Other names of lost actors and performers displayed included Irene Cara, Ray Liotta, Nichelle Nichols, Angela Lansbury, Louise Fletcher, Burt Bacharach, Mary Alice, Gina Lollobrigida, James Caan and Raquel Welch, according to the Associated Press. Recently deceased actors Tom Sizemore and Robert Blake were not included.

At the time of Newton-John’s death, Travolta mourned his “dearest” friend in a touching statement that spoke about how she “made all of our lives so much better.”

“Your impact was incredible,” he wrote on Instagram. “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!”

He signed the post, “Your Danny, your John!”

Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story from Twitter:

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