The Real Reason Olivia Newton-John Sold Her Most-Prized Memorabilia
The tragic death of legendary actor Olivia Newton-John has sent shockwaves through the entertainment world and beyond. After announcing her third bout with breast cancer in 2018, the multihyphenate ultimately died after 30 years from the disease — but not without making a lasting impact. And we're not just talking about entertainment.
In spite of all that the "Grease" star went through in her life, she was determined to make her life and battles count for something. In 2019, she began auctioning off hundreds of prized items from her younger days. Some of those iconic items included include her original script from "Grease," a custom Pink Ladies jacket (a gift from the iconic film's personnel!), and other items from her personal wardrobe. These items went on to be auctioned for thousands of dollars.
For the star, she had a greater purpose in mind behind selling all of her most treasured memorabilia. So why did Newton-John decide to hold the auction?
Olivia Newton-John wanted to raise money for her cancer center
For Olivia Newton-John, the reason behind selling these iconic items was simple but impactful. She wanted to raise money to continue the fight against breast cancer. A portion of the proceeds went towards the singer's own organization, the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Australia. The organization, which was created in 2012, is dedicated to providing care to other breast cancer patients.
The singer admitted that it was easy for her to let go of these items at this stage of her life. She valued the memories behind the items more than the items themselves. "That's one of the things I've learned on this journey of mine, is that stuff isn't important, it's people and the relationships you have," the singer shared (via Yahoo!). She also admitted that she had photos of every item so she could look back on them whenever she was feeling nostalgic.
According to The Guardian, the auction raised a whopping total of $2.4 million! With that larger purpose in mind, an anonymous billionaire even bought Newton-John's iconic leather jacket from "Grease" and returned it to her. That money still went towards her organization, which will continue to serve patients battling the disease. In life, Olivia Newton-John was committed to others besides herself, and, through her research center, she will continue to touch the lives of others, even in death.