John Travolta Tears up While Paying Tribute to Olivia Newton-John at Oscars 2023

Forever his Sandy. John Travolta got emotional while speaking about his late friend and Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John at the 2023 Oscars. The Grease actress, who famously played Sandy in the beloved musical, died last August at 73, after a long battle with breast cancer. According to E News, John, who starred as Danny Zuko opposite the late actress, appeared at this year's ceremony and was visibly moved as he introduced the "In Memoriam" segment, honoring entertainers who had sadly passed on last year. Standing on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Travolta's eyes welled up as he told the crowd, "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."

“And since tonight is a celebration of the work and the accomplishments of our community in this past year, it is only fitting then that we celebrate those we’ve lost who dedicated their lives to their craft both in front of and behind the camera," he said, "Through the immeasurable contributions each of them left an individual and indubitable mark that shared and informed us.”

The Pulp Fiction star then got choked up while giving a special shout-out to his dear friend Newton-John, referencing her hit song Hopelessly Devoted to You from Grease. “They’ve touched our hearts, they’ve made us smile and became dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to,” he said while struggling to hold back tears.

The crowd then echoed Travolta’s sentiments with an audible “Aw” sound before the Saturday Night Fever actor introduced the “incomparable” Lenny Kravitz. The singer, 58, performed his 2004 hit Calling All Angels on the piano, as a beautiful tribute video played that commemorated film industry professionals, including Ray Liotta, Angelo Badalamenti, Jean-Luc Goddard, Irene Cara, Julie Reichert, Burt Bacharach, Angela Lansbury, Mary Alice, James Caan, and Raquel Welch, as per the Hollywood Reporter. 

In August 2022, Newton-John died at the age of 73 after a brave and extraordinarily public decades-long battle with cancer. The actress died peacefully at her home in Southern California, surrounded by family and friends. Her husband John Easterling announced her death.

In the wake of her passing, Travolta mourned his "dearest" friend in a heartbreaking statement and remembered how she "made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible," he wrote in an August 8 Instagram post. "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!" Travolta signed off at the time with a reference to his Grease character, writing, "Your Danny, your John!"