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Olivia Newton-John "struggled with a lot of pain" in the days leading up to her death, her niece revealed.
Tottie Goldsmith told Australian news outlet 9Now about how the family prepared for Olivia's death. "It's not a shock, we've known how sick she's been, especially the last five days," she said. Newton-John passed away Monday (August 8) at her Southern California ranch. She was 73. While the exact cause of death has not been revealed, the Grease star battled breast cancer for over 30 years.
"It wasn't just the cancer that got her, it was other complications, being in a hospital and with a very susceptible immune system," Goldsmith said. "She got secondary infections. She really went down in the past five, six days."
The "Physical" singer's niece added that her cannabinoids weren't helping with the pain as of recent. "She's really struggled with a lot of pain," Goldsmith said.
In her interview, Goldsmith also recalled a conversation she had with Newton-John about death a few years ago. "She was really skinny and really unwell and I said to her, 'Are you afraid of dying?'" Goldsmith said. "She said, 'Plonker', which was my nickname, she said, 'I'm not, I'm not afraid, I've done more in my life than I could have ever imagined.' She honestly never imagined her life would be how it was."
Tottie shared a montage of photos with Newton-John on Monday after news of the star's death broke. "Thank you Livvy, thank you for your deep heart, your playfulness, your constant encouragement and positivity. You were more than an auntie to us and you were a gift to this world. I will miss you forever 🤍🕊 love and light," she captioned the post.