‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’: Fans Pay Tribute to Olivia Newton-John and 1 Iconic Lip Sync Battle
Fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race remember how Olivia Newton-John helped create an iconic moment on the show. Read on to find out which of the show’s icons was in sweats when they had to lip sync for their life to a Newton-John song in front of her. Plus, how have some of the actor’s famous friends reacted to the news of her death?
Olivia Newton-John died at 73 in 2022
Born in England in 1948, Newton-John grew up in Australia and started her performing career in the ’60s. But her role as high schooler Sandy in 1978’s Grease made her an international star (per Biography).
Newton-John had one daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, with her first husband, whom she divorced in 1995. She married her longtime friend John Easterling in 2008 and remained with him until she died.
On Aug. 8, 2022, Newton-John’s family announced her death through a statement on social media. The 73-year-old star had been receiving treatment for metastatic breast cancer, which she was first diagnosed with in the early ’90s.
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ fans recalled when Katya had to lip sync to Olivia Newton-John’s song while she judged
Fans remembered that Newton-John was a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race in season seven. And the bottom two contestants ended up in a high-stakes “Lip Sync for Your Life” battle performing her song “Twist of Fate” on her episode.
Katya Zamolodchikova said that the stressful experience of performing a Newton-John song in front of the “Let’s Get Physical” singer caused profuse sweating — in so many words. On the other hand, Sasha Belle was focused on putting on a performance that would make an impression on RuPaul.
Both queens gave it their all, but Katya strutted back to join the other contestants when RuPaul’s verdict was in. Sasha sashayed away, and many fans in various comment sections think Katya’s memorable slow split allowed the icon to grab the win.
One share of the clip on Twitter racked up more than 13,000 likes and got a retweet from Katya.
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ and other friends paid tribute to Olivia Newton-John
Following news of the star’s death, RuPaul’s Drag Race paid tribute to Newton-John with a tweet thanking her for being an inspiration. And other celebrity friends have been doing the same.
As reported by CBS News, her Grease co-star John Travolta took to Instagram to share some thoughts. “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible,” he wrote. “I love you so much.”
He added, “We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever!”
Mariah Carey gushed over Newton-John on her Instagram, noting how she fell in love with the singer’s voice as a child.
“This is a moment I will never ever forget,” she wrote along with a picture of the two performing together. She added, “I was also blessed to be in her presence on many other occasions and she was one of the kindest, most generous and lovely people I’ve ever met.”
“Olivia, I honestly love you,” Carey concluded her tribute.
