Tragic Details About Olivia Newton-John's Daughter Chloe Rose Lattanzi
Chloe Rose Lattanzi has no doubt faced her fair share of challenges in her life, weathering the storm of some seriously tragic circumstances as she grew up in the spotlight as the celebrity daughter of the late Olivia Newton-John and Matt Lattanzi. The former "Dancing With the Stars Australia" star has been vocal about experiencing some tough times in her youth, admitting to Australia's Women's Weekly in 2019 during a joint interview with her mom that she didn't always feel safety from her when she was growing up. "I do now, in this part of our relationship, but I think the teenage years are difficult for everyone, and I think moms are afraid for their children," Lattanzi explained.
Thankfully, Lattanzi appears to be on a better path today and is ready to use her light to promote good in the world. "Even in the smallest space, be as kind, thoughtful and mindful as you can and the world won't seem so big. It all begins with you," she told The Hollywood Reporter during another joint interview in 2021. "I was overwhelmed for so long and I felt helpless. It changed when I was reminded how much love I can pull out of myself and use for every single being I interacted with every day."
But what exactly has Lattanzi been through to give her such an enlightened perspective on her purpose in the world?
The alcohol and drug use
Chloe Rose Lattanzi has a sad history with alcohol and drug use and struggled to the point tha she spent seven months in a sober living facility in 2013. It's thought the musician spent thousands on feeding her addiction, with Lattanzi admitting that by the time she was just 22 years old, she was spending $60 a day on her cocaine and vodka habit. "I started to get into the party scene, drinking every night, and then before long I got introduced to cocaine and all of a sudden the combination of those two things took away all the fear and depression and that is when the cycle began," Lattanzi recalled to Australia's Women's Day in 2013 (via Radar), adding that she was doing drugs and drinking so heavily that she's amazed she didn't experience a heart attack. But while Lattanzi escaped a serious heart episode, she had other scares. "By this point I had a severe panic disorder where out of the blue my heart rate would jack up and you would be shaky and dizzy and you would think you were going to die," she admitted. Thankfully, her mom, Olivia Newton-John, helped her to get sober, encouraging her to get into a rehab facility and enlisting the help of Dr. Drew Pinsky.
Lattanzi's fight against drugs and alcohol sadly didn't quite stop there, though she denied experiencing a relapse on Instagram in 2017, when she confirmed that she was two years sober after trolls accused her of falling off the wagon (via The Sun).
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Chloe Rose Lattanzi's body dysmorphia issues
Chloe Rose Lattanzi has struggled with body dysmorphia for much of her life and has undergone multiple cosmetic procedures as a result of her insecurities. "I think growing up in L.A., growing up in the limelight, and growing up around people who have had plastic surgery, and who are all thin. It happens," she told Studio 10 in 2020, admitting that she knew a lot of people growing up who faced the same issues as she did. "I mean, it's a common thing in Hollywood," she claimed, adding that being young and famous brought her no joy because she was in such a bad place mentally. Lattanzi also opened up about her surgeries and struggles on "The Doctors" in 2016, sharing that she got a lot of fillers removed after learning more about what she was really going through. "I look back at myself and I as a teenager and I'm like, What a beautiful young woman. What was I thinking? Why was I so insecure?" she asked (via People), revealing she believes the issue in on the rise thanks to social media apps like Instagram.
"All those things were a disaster," Lattanzi later told Women's Day of her multiple surgeries after it was claimed she'd spent around $550,000 on altering her appearance, according to Page Six. "Not only did the lip implants look ridiculous, the first boob op I had in Australia when I was 18 left me looking mutilated."
Chloe Rose Lattanzi's years of depression
In addition to her body dysmorphia issues, Chloe Rose Lattanzi's mental health struggles included a bout of depression that lasted around 15 years. Lattanzi has explained how growing up in the spotlight as a result of Olivia Newton-John's A-List status highlighted her issues, telling The Mail on Sunday in 2013, "Fame totally messes you up. I don't blame my mother for my problems, but I would never want to be famous or raise a child of my own around the cult of celebrity. It ruins lives. If there's one thing I've learned, it is that you can't be fragile in this business, or else you end up like Lindsay Lohan."
In 2017, Lattanzi claimed in a since-deleted Instagram post that she felt she had come out of her depression for the first time in her adult life, explaining, via Daily Mail, that her struggles had inspired her album, titled "No Pain." Three years later, she spoke candidly on Australia's Studio 10, explaining that much of her depression and mental health issues stemmed from a lack of self-esteem and never feeling good enough while growing up with famous parents. "I was just a child going through a physiological illness and I kind of self-sabotaged because internally I was not well," she shared, noting that fame brought her a lot of pain.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
A difficult divorce
Chloe Rose Lattanzi has been candid about how her parents' divorce really affected her, as Olivia Newton-John and Matt Lattanzi split in 1995 when she was just 9 years old. Chloe opened up about that difficult time in her life in a joint interview with her mom in Women's Weekly in 2019, admitting, "I don't think I understood how much my parents' divorce affected me. Now I've realized that family is so healing." The star shared how she has an affinity for Christmas because of the stability it brings to her life after experiencing a rocky childhood when her parents split. "Being around your family and having a meal and being able to all go to bed in the same house — that is safety," Chloe shared, adding that she had a dream of herself and her parents one day living on the same property. "Life's so short. I want to spend every minute with the people I love," she said. Sadly, following her mom's death in August 2022, Chloe's dream won't come to fruition.
Thankfully, though, the star remained close with her mom and dad following their divorce. Newton-John often shared pics and gushed on Instagram, showing just how close she was with her daughter, while Chloe often returned the favor during quality time with both her mom and dad. Chloe also shares a strong relationship with her stepdad, John Easterling, as revealed on "60 Minutes Australia."
Olivia Newton-John's cancer diagnosis
No doubt one of the biggest heartaches in Chloe Rose Lattanzi's life came from her mom's many years living with breast cancer. Olivia Newton-John was first diagnosed in 1992, then again in 2013, and for a third time in 2017. Two years after her third diagnosis, Newton-John and Lattanzi sat down for an emotional "60 Minutes Australia" interview in which the latter confessed the diagnosis wasn't something they often spoke about — unless her mom was having a day where it needed to be discussed. She also got candid about how she first found out about the "Grease" star's cancer when she was just a child, sharing the heartbreak she felt after learning about it from a school classmate. "I think getting into it, explaining it to me, would have given me more of a sense of control," she shared. "I feel for my mom, though, because imagine having to tell your daughter that. She didn't want me to have to stress."
In the years that followed, Lattanzi — who quit Instagram in 2020 over comments regarding her mom's health — was always there for Newton-John, often sharing supportive public posts. In a sweet Instagram upload on June 3, 2022, mere weeks before Newton-John's death, the mother/daughter duo pulled kissy faces alongside two throwback snaps, as Lattanzi captioned the post, "Always and forever mama. I got you. I see you. I will walk with you to the ends of the earth no questions asked."
The sad death of Olivia Newton-John
Chloe Rose Lattanzi was left heartbroken when her mom, Olivia Newton-John, died somewhat suddenly at age 73 on August 8, 2022. Lattanzi posted a touching tribute to her late mother on Instagram, sharing several photos of them together over the years, including an adorable shot of herself as a child pulling her mom in for a kiss. The singer shared the images mere hours after Newton-John's death was made public, opting to leave the caption blank. The tribute post heartbreakingly came mere days after Lattanzi shared another more recent shot of herself and her mom to Instagram on August 5, 2022, writing, "I worship this woman. My mother. My best friend."
Adding even more to the undeniable heartbreak, Lattanzi revealed on Instagram on July 24, 2022, just two weeks before Newton-John's death, that she and her husband, James Driskill, were moving states and moving in with her mom. "We officially moved out of our house in Portland. In the truck my man towing the uhaul," Lattanzi captioned a selfie. "So excited to get back to my mama! Here's to a new chapter!!!"
Chloe Rose Lattanzi and Olivia Newton-John's time apart
Sadly, Chloe Lattanzi didn't get to spend all the time she wanted with her mom before Olivia Newton-John's untimely death, but thankfully got to be around her prior to her passing. The "Grease" star told People in 2021 she was grateful for all the time at home during the coronavirus pandemic because it allowed her and Lattanzi to be together and bond all over again. "I worked my whole life, and the longest period I can remember being home was my pregnancy with Chloe and the first year or two of her life," she said. "So it's been wonderful reconnecting with my baby."
Lattanzi dished on spending more time with her mom to Women's Weekly in 2019, confessing, "I love seeing my mom. It's good medicine. When I don't see my mum for a long time, it's like I feel ill. When I'm with her, it feels like all is right with the world. She makes me feel safe."
But despite not always spending big chunks of time together, Newton always gushed about her stunning daughter and revealed in May 2014 that she would split time between Santa Barbara, where she lived with her husband, John Easterling, and Malibu, where Lattanzi lived before moving. "People always ask me what my biggest achievement is, and the first thing that comes to mind is my daughter. If she's happy, I'm happy," she told Malibu Times.
The mysterious disappearance of Patrick McDermott
What really happened to Patrick McDermott? That's the question the world has been asking ever since 2005 when McDermott, Newton-John's boyfriend, went missing at sea during a fishing trip, per Nine.com.au. What actually happened to McDermott has been subject to a lot of speculation, and rumors began to surface in the bizarre case that McDermott may actually have been alive and well. As for his whereabouts? Whispers suggested he was living in Mexico with a new partner after supposedly faking his disappearance. Private investigators even claimed in 2009 that McDermott had apparently been found but purportedly did not want to return to his old life to avoid debts, according to Telegraph.
In 2016, speculation was rife once again that McDermott was alive after an apparent sighting. Chloe Rose Lattanzi, who was 11-years-old when McDermott went missing, spoke candidly about all the rumors to Australia's New Idea, opening up about the heartbreak she and her mom felt not only about his disappearance but about the constant speculation about what really happened. "[I] can't believe he could really be alive and well after so long. It's really devastating. It's been difficult for us. It's hard, we lost someone," she said at the time. That came just over a decade after Newton-John shared on "Good Morning America" that she was hopeful for McDermott's return, saying, "It's very much a mystery and speculation has been rife and I choose not to buy into the speculation."