Olivia Newton-John‘s husband, John Easterling, and daughter Chloe Lattanzi, sat down for an interview with the TODAY Show’s Hoda Kotb. This was Lattanzi’s first interview since her mother lost her long battle with breast cancer at the age of 73.
Easterling called himself “grateful” that he had as many years with his late wife as he did. He described his late wife as “very caring, very giving.”
He described Newton-John’s battle with cancer as “a long journey.” He explained that “she was who she was all the way through,” and by that he meant the loving, caring person he knew and loved.
While fighting back tears, Lattanzi shared, “I love my mom more than anything.”
Later in the interview, Lattanzi reminisced about her mother’s last words. She shared, “Last words she could say to me was, ‘My sunshine.'” Lattanzi added, “Right before she lost her ability to speak, she was making jokes.”
Lattanzi also explained that knowing so many people loved her mother and miss her as well has been “a life raft.” She described the feeling as “a big hug from the universe.”
February 17, 2023, is a special day for Newton-John’s family because the “Grease” star’s very last project was released. It’s a duet between Newton-John and Dolly Parton singing “Jolene.” It was recorded only a few months before Newton-John died.
Easterling explained that the message Newton-John would want to leave behind is “love” and “gratitude.” He added, “Just be grateful and express love to the people that you love.”
Watch their full interview in the video below.
EXCLUSIVE: The husband and daughter of Olivia Newton-John open up to TODAY’s @hodakotb in their first television interview since the star’s passing six months ago. https://t.co/6CbHvvOd3W pic.twitter.com/SY4hMqNUxh
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 17, 2023
While this was the first time Lattanzi sat down for an interview after her mother’s death, this is not the first time she has commented publicly about her mother since she died. She has turned to Instagram to express her feelings about her mother over the past few months.