Heavy/Getty Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John
One year after Oliva Newton-John‘s death, her daughter Chloe Lattanzi, 37, has revealed she’s facing her own health issues and will soon “disappear” from the public eye because she’s been ignoring her own well-being. Newton-John — a legendary singer, actor and “Dancing With The Stars” alum — died in August 2022 at age 73 after a long battle with breast cancer.
Lattanzi said the past two and a half years, from navigating her mom’s grave illness to grieving her death, have finally taken a toll. The musician and social media content creator admitted in an Instagram video posted on August 19, 2023, that she has “not been OK” and has ignored her own wellness since her mom’s death.
Lattanzi has been open about her struggles with depression and anxiety in the past, so she recognized recent warning signs that she wasn’t doing well, she said. After a major fundraising event in October for her mom’s wellness initiative, Lattanzi said, she plans to “disappear” and go take care of herself because she knows that what her mom would want.
Olivia Newton-John’s Daughter Plans to ‘Disappear’ to Heal After October Fundraiser
In her video, Lattanzi revealed, “Since my mom’s passing and the year and a half with her going through cancer, I have not been OK. If I have forgotten to return your calls — I’ve had extreme memory loss, I’ve had difficulty getting out of bed. I’ve stuck to my commitments but I have been neglecting myself.”
“One of my mom’s biggest messages was ‘take care of you’,” Lattanzi continued. “If you don’t take care of you, you cannot give your full capacity of love, wisdom, kindness and power to everyone else.”
After initially being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 at age 44, Newton-John committed herself to building awareness and funding, especially in her native Australia, for cancer research and treatment, according to The Guardian.
In June 2012, the ONJ Centre opened in Melbourne, bringing to life Newton-John’s vision of a space where research and top-notch care for patients could exist together. In 2022, The Guardian reported that the ONJ Centre was involved in 200 clinical trials for a wide variety of cancers and had served thousands of patients.
Each fall, Newton-John loved spearheading a “Walk For Wellness” event to raise money for more research and patient programs. Lattanzi agreed to carry on her mom’s legacy and keep the walk going in Australia, but after the 2023 event, she’ll step away for a while.
“After the walk I’m going to disappear for about three weeks, just to honor my mind, body and spirit because I’m developing a little bit of health issues in my mind and my body,” she said in her video, adding that she hadn’t been taking care of herself since her mom’s death last year.
“So in the spirit of my mother and the spirit of the Wellness Walk,” she said, “I’m going to take a month to do that so that I can be of complete service to everyone else.”
Fans & Friends Encourage Olivia Newton-John’s Daughter Chloe to Take Time to Grieve
GettySinger Olivia Newton John and her daughter Chloe Lattanzi in December 2005
Fans and friends of Newton-John flooded her daughter’s vulnerable post, which she limited comments on, leaving her words of encouragement and urging her to take all the time she needs to grieve and get healthy.
One fan wrote, “You’re still grieving 💔 we’ll be ok. You take care of you. We love you & pray for you. Take all the time you need ❤️ we’ll be here xo”
Another person commented, “Take all the time you need to heal yourself and allow yourself to process this immense grief chlo. We are all here for you always, we see you and we love you.”
Australian media personality and designer Megan Castran, who was friends with Newton-John and has designed a line of rainbow products to raise money for her Wellness Walk on October 8, shared a touching story to comfort Lattanzi.
“My Mum passed in 2020 and YOUR Mum was right there for me on text as I sat with mine,” Castran wrote. “I took the beautiful rainbow maker Olivia sent me and the rainbow lights filled the room. I’m here for you just like she was for me. Sending you a beautiful rainbow light. Looking forward to reconnecting with you at the walk.”
In an interview with NBC’s “Today Show” in March, Lattanzi said, “Knowing that my mom was a healer for so many people is incredibly inspiring and it is my mission to carry on her legacy of love and light and giving and caring.”