Heavy The daughter of a former DWTS guest judge paid tribute to her mom.
Chloe Lattanzi, the daughter of actress and singer Olivia Newton-John, paid tribute to her mom during a memorial service held in Australia on February 26, 2023.
“My heart is broken in two, the other half is with my mama. I know she’s holding it for me until we meet again,” Lattanzi read from a piece of paper. “I stand here before you so desperately, wanting to feel strong and confident and speak eloquently, but the truth is I feel like a little girl lost without her mother. She was my safe space, my guide, my biggest fan and the earth beneath my feet,” she continued.
Newton-John, who appeared as a guest judge on “Dancing With the Stars,” died on August 8, 2022, after a long battle with breast cancer. Newton-John was 73-years-old. She is survived by her husband, John Easterling, and her only daughter.
Here’s what you need to know:
Olivia Newton-John’s Memorial Is Available to Watch via Livestream
Newton-John was remembered by family and friends during a state memorial service that was held at Hamer Hall Arts Centre in Melbourne; Newton-John was born in England but was raised in Melbourne. The memorial was livestreamed on Victoria’s official government website and will be available to stream until March 5, 2023.
Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. Her treatment included a partial mastectomy and chemotherapy, eventually sending her into remission. Her cancer returned in 2013, according to People magazine, but she didn’t publicly share the news at the time. In 2017, however, she did reveal that she had been diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Five years later, she died.
During Lattanzi’s tribute at her mother’s memorial service, she recalled some of the fun times that she had with her mom over the years.
“My favorite thing to do was watch her watching the birds and the flowers, smelling her roses and the joy it brought to her face was a thing of beauty. I loved making her tea and then making it five times again until I got it right,” she said.
“I loved our snuggles. I would crawl into bed with her late at night, even until I was 20 years old. I loved the way she smelled, nothing felt safer to me. I loved writing music and singing with her and how she would always notice if I was slightly off-key. I love how she loved fully and completely,” she added.
Chloe Lattanzi Previously Shared Her Mom’s Last Words to Her
Newton-John gave birth to her daughter in 1986 with then-husband Matt Lattanzi, whom she married two years prior.
In a 2021 episode of the “A Life of Greatness” podcast, Newton-John revealed that she almost lost the baby ahead of her due date. At the time, the “Grease” star said she made a sort of pact with God in an effort to keep her daughter safe.
“I went to bed and asked God to save her, and if he did, I would say the Lord’s Prayer every night for the rest of my life. And so I have,” she explained.
Newton-John and her daughter had a close relationship that lasted through the end of the star’s life.
“The last words she could say to me was, ‘My sunshine,'” Lattanzi told Hoda Kotb in an interview with Today. “And right before she lost her ability to speak, she was making jokes,” Lattanzi added.
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