Closing out a career that spanned six decades, Caesar died on February 12, 2014 at his Beverly Hills home, at the age of 91 (according to Variety), following a thankfully short period of ailing health. [2][7], He played the role for 2 1/2 years while his friend John Travolta, with whom he shared a manager, later joined the show, playing the supporting role of Doody. The highest grossing movie of the year, it also produced one of the best-selling albums of all-time; a 1982 sequel starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield; a live television event, Grease: Live! [2], His father, Charles,[2] was an actor, producer, and publisher. Deezen has seen plenty of success outside the movie musical world, especially when it comes to voice acting. After three seasons on Taxi, and two Golden Globe nominations, Conaway left the hit show due to both creative differences with the producers and his struggles with drug abuse on set. Of all the T-Birds, Sonny was certainly the most hilarious of the bunch. Played by Dinah Manoff, Marty was the perfect addition to "Grease." It's been 44 years since Grease debuted in theaters. "My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Conaway, 60, suffered from pneumonia and sepsis in recent weeks and had been in a medically-induced coma in an Encino, California, hospital for two weeks, manager Phil Brock said. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart and No. Grease is one of those classic films filled with songs that just about everyone can recite today. Binge-worthy entertainment news and celebrity interviews. Conaway was featured in the first and second seasons of the reality television series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. / CBS News. After Pinsky asked him to elaborate upon how he would carry out a suicidal act, Conaway glared at the mirror in his room and said, "I see myself breaking that mirror and slicing my fucking throat with it." Then, in 1981, the blonde scored her biggest hit ever with the sexually charged anthem Physical, which track spent 10 weeks at No. Explaining that she had fun with her co-stars and "played around" while filming, she shared, "You know, we're still all like that. However, Goodman was so in tune with "Grease" that in1994, she even appeared in a Broadway revival of the story in which she played English teacher Miss Lynch, per Theater Mania. Rydell High's auto shop teacher Mrs. Murdock was a familiar face to "Grease"viewers at the time of the film's debut. Its soundtrack, featuring the songs "You're the One That I Want," "Summer Nights," "Hopelessly Devoted to You," as well as the self-titled theme song sung by Frankie Valli, was also a major chart topper in the late 1970s disco era. She continued to work onstage as well, eventually earning a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Peter Nichol's A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, and nominations for her work in The House of Blue Leaves and Six Degrees of Separation. His third marriage was to Kerri Young from 1990 to 2000. She quickly falls in with her own clique the Pink Ladies and the two groups dance and sing their way through the ups and downs of adolescent love. He posted a lengthy rant on Facebook about a server at a local restaurant, Kara Lashbaugh. He underwent treatment in the late 1980s and often spoke candidly about his addictions. Conaway died the following morning at the age of 60. She was 73 years. After all, Travolta played the handsome stud in the film, and people were understandably taken with him. Ward added that he mostly bonded with "creative visionaries, Pat Birch and Randal Kleiser," the movie's choreographer and director, respectively, which makes sense considering his affinity for producing and writing. In the 1950s, the multi-talented entertainment legend was one of television's very first stars as part of the pioneering live television series, "Your Show of Shows," which was quite an achievement for a kid who'd once earned a living as a saxophone player during the Depression (via Biography). [3] He made his film debut in the 1971 romantic drama Jennifer on My Mind, which also featured future stars Robert De Niro and Barry Bostwick. Not only was Olivia a dear friend, but one of the nicest people I had the pleasure of recording and performing with," wrote Dionne Warwick. You were as kind and loving a person as theres ever been. ", First published on August 8, 2022 / 3:43 PM. "Because the joy of life and everyday living has to be a part of that healing process as well,"she said. "Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and . In 2015, he voiced a seagull in "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water." Rest now, sweet friend. CHRIS ROCK'S BROTHER CHALLENGES WILL SMITH TO A BOXING MATCH AFTER OSCARS SLAP, Eddie Deezen was arrested on burglary charges in April 2022. "Frenchy was very protective of Sandy Sandy was new in town. I love you so much. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) In addition to her health woes, Newton-John also faced a series of other struggles in her personal life. Harris dead at 31, LeBron James becomes 2nd player in NBA history to score 38,000 points, Pamela Anderson on surviving abuse, paparazzi: Being a mother "saved me", Friends and celebrities pay tribute to Lisa Marie Presley. Frenchy's troublemaking boyfriend Doody was portrayed by Barry Pearl, who performed in the first national tour of Grease prior to joining the cast of the film. "I was the first replacement on Broadway for Jan, and I played her for six months." Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." In 2011, the former actress was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. You choose.". Annette Charles was best known for her role as the cha-cha dancing Charlene DiGregorio in the 1978 film. After appearing in the movie,Manoff went on to star in many projects, writing, directing, and producing here and there. Conaway starred in the short-lived 1983 fantasy-spoof series Wizards and Warriors. Deezen is best known for playing Eugene Felsnic in the original "Grease" films. Before "Grease," Goodman played Mary Hartman's mother on the late night soap of the same name, and after the film, she logged a recurring role on the NBC sitcom 'Diff'rent Strokes." A few decades following Conaway's TV and movie heyday, fans were sad to see Conaway turn up on "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew,"where he revealed he was addicted to alcohol and prescription painkillers. And even now, Conn has nothing but fond memories of "Grease" and her character. Doctors discovered a malignant tumor in her right breast and she underwent a modified radical mastectomy and chemotherapy before eventually being declared cancer free. She went on to win one more Emmy for the made-for-television movie The Matthew Shepard Story in 2002, which earned her a Screen Actor's Guild Award as well. Legal Statement. NewsCore. He made guest appearances on such shows as Barnaby Jones, George & Leo, and Murder, She Wrote. Menu. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Her big screen follow-up, Xanadu co-starring Gene Kelly was a critical and commercial failure, but produced a hit soundtrack and a slew of top 20 singles, including "Magic," which spent five weeks at number one on the charts. [24], In August 2009, Conaway was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight. The sad news was announced on her official. She went into remission for several years, until she was told the cancer was back in 2013. I just couldn't appreciate it and use it as just a job, as a learning experience. In September 2017, Newton-John went public with the devastating diagnosis but insisted she wasnt focused on her illness, but on things that make her happy. She was 73. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Trailer for the Musical classic hit Grease Dame Olivia Newton-John's appearance in Grease as good-girl-gone-bad Sandy will go down in movie history as one of the most iconic roles of all time. Grease is one of those classic films filled with songs that just about everyone can recite today. Though she wasn't exactly someone's main love interest in "Grease," Rizzo was perhaps one of the movie's most important characters. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Now . Olivia Newton-John has died at the age of 73. Pearl and his onscreen love interest Didi Conn are the only two cast members from the 1978 film to appear in Grease: Live! ", Lately, Pearl is pretty active on Instagram, where he posts some political content, as well as reminders that you can book a message from him on Cameo, where he has a five-star rating. Though Avalon has gotten older, he has remained a performer in every sense of the word, and that's pretty impressive. Another actor with a smaller part in the movie Alice Ghostley, who played auto shop teacher Mrs. Murdock, died on Sept. 21, 2007. He died on May 27, 2011, after being taken off of life support. In the 1980s, the actor embarked on a healthy lifestyle journey that would ultimately help him live a very long life. Grease actor Eddie Deezen is not mentally fit for a trial and must remain in the custody of the Maryland Department of Health, according to a court order. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever!" The younger Byrnes, thankfully, became sober before hitting age 50 and would go on to live for decades after finding sobriety. Following the success of Grease, and a yearlong stint on the ABC sitcom Soap in 1978, she went on to win a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play in 1980 for Neil Simon's I Ought to Be in Pictures. In addition to the box office and Billboard success brought on by the musical, her performance in Grease also landed her a Golden Globe nomination. The legendary star, who began her movie career in the 1930s, appeared in a plethora of Warner Bros. films,perSlant Magazine, effortlessly crossing genres. He was 87 years old. The movie transformed Newton-John into one of the worlds biggest stars, with her next solo album, titled Totally Hot, racing up the charts later that same year. "I trust she is now in the great Xanadu beyond," he wrote. Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, at the same time her father died from cancer. ", A post shared by Barbra Streisand (@barbrastreisand), Actor George Takei called Newton-John a "great, iconic artist." The Post has reached out to Newton-Johns rep for further comment. Olivia Newton-John, the beloved singer and actor known for her 1970s and '80s hits and the movie "Grease," died at her ranch in Southern California on Monday at age . Conaway's dialogue for that episode was divided between his co-stars Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd, who delivered the jokes well enough so that Conaway's absence had little negative effect on the episode. Prior to Grease, she also starred in the premiere New York and Los Angeles productions of The Rocky Horror Show alongside Tim Curry. [2] Taxi writer Sam Simon recalled in 2008 that during production of Simon's first script for that show, a missing Conaway was found in his dressing room too high on drugs to perform. She went on to a voice role on the TV series "Alvin and the Chipmunks," among other shows. After "Grease," Donnelly made appearances in films like "Can't Hardly Wait" and had roles in series such as "The Naked Brothers Band," "Family Affair," "Monk," and "Ray Donovan." Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Throughout the rest of the '80s and early '90s, he primarily worked in guest spots on TV, and small supporting roles in films, until he booked the role of Zack Allan on Babylon 5 from 1994-1999. "Or maybe I needed to create one to make it okay for myself. Bruce Springsteen's manager, Mike Appel, produced the album. She subsequently became a prominent advocate for promoting breast cancer awareness. Olivia Newton-John as Sandy and John Travolta as Danny Zuko in a scene from the movie "Grease," released in 1978. Though Travolta had appeared in television shows, in the classic horror film "Carrie," and in "Saturday Night Fever," he didn't reach peak fame until "Grease." Tragically, the much-loved actress died at the age of 73 on Monday, August 8, surrounded by her family at her California ranch. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta as Rydell High School sweethearts Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko, the film. "[30], An autopsy performed on Conaway revealed that the actor died of various causes, including aspiration pneumonia and encephalopathy, attributable to drug overdoses. [3] His mother, Helen, an actress who went by the stage name Mary Ann Brooks,[2] taught music at New York City's Brook Conservatory. However, to avoid feeling "burned out," he was selective in choosing what he would agree to. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. By the time she was cast as high school bad girl Rizzo, Stockard Channing had already amassed an impressive list of stage and screen credits, including a starring turn opposite Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson in Mike Nichols' The Fortune. He appeared in films such as Jawbreaker, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, and Do You Wanna Know a Secret? Her last project,"Bart Got a Room,"was in 2008, and in an interview with Empty Nest TV, Manoff explained that she was done with Hollywood. And Sid Caesar, who played Coach Calhoun, died on Feb. 12, 2014. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. [28][29], Though his drug use did not cause his pneumonia, it hampered Conaway's ability to recognize how severely ill he was and to seek treatment for pneumonia until it was too late. Newton-Johns duet with co-star Travolta, Youre the One That I Want, topped the pop charts, while her solo ballad, Hopelessly Devoted to You, climbed to No. And, of course, if you have a cancer diagnosis, your death is kind of there. Simpson: American Crime Story. Played by Stockard Channing, Rizzo was confident and bold, and she knew what she wanted. [18] Conaway stated that he had been an addict since he was a teenager. Thanks to her soundtrack contributions "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Summer Nights," she became the second woman to have two singles in the Billboard top five at the same time. After her turn as beauty school dropout Frenchy in the original 1978 film, she went on to star in television shows like The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, Benson, and the PBS series Shining Time Station alongside Ringo Starr, and later, George Carlin. [12] Conaway's doctor attributed his death to his addiction, stating, "What happens is, like with most opiate addicts, eventually they take a little too much and they aspirate so what's in their mouth gets into their lungs That's what happened with Jeff. She added: I wasnt doing it on purpose. Trending. She married actor Matt Lattanzi in 1984 before the pair welcomed their daughter, Chloe, two years later. Annette Charles' character's bad boy boyfriend, Leo "Craterface" Balmudo, was played by Dennis Stewart in "Grease." Newton-John, a four-time Grammy winner, died in August 2022 at 73 years old. She originally co-starred on the sitcom alongside Richard Mulligan and Kristy McNichol, and was featured in every episode of its seven-season run. They divorced when he was three,[3] and Conaway and his two older sisters lived with their mother. John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and More. Sadly, according to the BBC, Conaway's addiction to prescription drugs may have started with "Grease," as a back injury he suffered while filming the movie spawned a lifelong addiction. When Travolta starred in "Grease," he was still relatively new to acting. She has been married and divorced four times, and was in a long-term relationship with cinematographer Daniel Gillham until his death in 2014. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Its unclear what date the image was actually taken. Upon arrival at the Pasadena Recovery Center (which was filmed as part of Celebrity Rehab's first episode) Conaway, using a wheelchair, arrived drunk, mumbling to Drew Pinsky that he had binged on cocaine and Jack Daniel's whiskey the previous night. Travolta married actressKelly Prestonin 1991, and theyhad three children together. Things took a dark turn in the mid-2000s when Conaway relapsed from substance abuse and turned up on reality TV as a star of the VH1 shows Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. After playing the innocent, smart, and sweet (and later strong and confident) Sandy, Newton-Johnstarred in "Xanadu" and continued to release music like hits "Physical" and "I HonestlyLove You" (via Billboard). (CBS via Getty Images), CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER. Needless to say, Caesar was widely known as a comedian and musician long before playing the Rydell High coach who (hilariously) tries to help John Travolta's Danny Zuko become a jock. Jeff Conaway. She has been married to her second husband, David Shire, since 1982. Edd Byrnes, the actor who played Vince Fontaine in Grease, has died. Paramount Pictures; Karwai Tang/WireImage. Still, for Donnelly, "Grease" was more than just a movie, it was an experience. Her cause of death was reported as heart disease. But I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to record it. Then in 2020, Preston died of breast cancer, asPeople reported. She was 73 years old. Dame Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Some of your favorite characters from the movie were played by actors who went on to find plenty of success, while others have stayed relatively quiet. I ended up reading with [star] Judd Hirsch and it went really well."[10]. That star began to dip in the 1980s, but his Oscar-nominated turn in "Pulp Fiction" brought him back to the top, as Travolta himself acknowledged on "Inside the Actor's Studio." That was in the '90s, the same decade that brought Travolta his wife, actress Kelly Preston, and his . The true story of the g-strings and murders behind, Grammy-winning recording artist and country music star. In fact, Conn even starred in "Grease 2," making her one of the only original cast members to do so. His most recent acting credentials include a short film called "Squeeze," the movie "The Silent Natural," a stint on the short series "BlindDateMe," and the comedy "Boomers. It was annulled. After her oldest son Dashiell tragically died in a car accident in 2017, she began teaching acting at the Purdy Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, WA as a way to deal with her grief. 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