Cliff Richard paid tribute to the late Dame Olivia Newton-John

Sir Cliff Richard paid tribute to the late Dame Olivia Newton-John.

The ‘Summer Holiday’ hitmaker lamented about the passing of the ‘Grease’ star, his good pal on Twitter, who died more than 30 years after being diagnosed with breast cancer on Monday (08.08.22) at her California ranch surrounded by loved ones, aged 73.

The 81-year-old mual icon wrote that he was “at a loss at as what to say” about his friend, who he met in 1970.

Cliff added that death “is a vicious enemy and all of us will be taken by him,” before saying: “But all us are not taken by him at the same time and so while Olivia remains in our minds and memories, she remains very much alive!!’

The ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ crooner described himself as “just one of an army of lucky people who knew and loved” the ‘Xanadu’ star, before posing the question: “How could we not love her?”

“She was gorgeous, gifted and had a heart of Gold.”

Cliff added: “Also, a bunch of Records that were Gold, but her Golden Heart is is her legacy to us ().”

He reminisced about how Olivia – who left behind her husband John Easterling and daughter Chloe Lattanzi, 36 – “put her career on hold for years” after finding out she had a lump and praised her positivity despite her prognosis.

Cliff said: “Why? Because she wanted to inspire other sufferers to do as she did… fight the ugly disease, although she said in one interview that she wasn’t in a battle with cancer just that she had something she simply wanted to get rid of.”

He added: “Olivia always an up-beat approach to life.”

Cliff shared that he last spoke to Olivia on the telephone three weeks ago and didn’t think he would be now “acknowledging her death”.

He said: “Only three weeks ago I was on the phone to her and she was her bright positive self and I never thought for one moment that I would be writing this and acknowledging her death.”

Cliff also admitted that “hates” the word death, and said: “From now on I will only believe that our gorgeous Olivia simply stopped living. I will miss her.”

“The world will miss her, so let’s all keep her alive in our hearts and memories.”

Cliff signed off, writing: “God bless you Livvy. Rest in Peace…… Cliff xxx.”