Olivia Newton-John’s Daughter Chloe Lattanzi Reflects on the Promise She Made to Her Mother in New Song

Chloe Lattanzi remembers snuggling up with her mom, Olivia Newton-John, in bed watching TV together. Olivia introduced her daughter to classics like All About Eve, while Chloe helped familiarize her mom with hip directors like Quentin Tarantino. “And we both loved The Real Housewives. If we wanted to be naughty, we would get in bed and watch that,” Chloe tells Closer. “Oh, and Bridgerton.”

In the two years since Olivia’s death at age 73, Chloe, 38, has felt her mother’s blessing upon her. “She said that the most important thing to her in the world was that I found happiness and peace,” says Chloe, who released “Phoenix,” a new single, on September 26, what would have been Olivia’s 76th birthday. “I wanted to write a song to make a promise to her that I would be happy,” explains Chloe, who admits she’s still grieving. “Two years is nothing,” she says, explaining that she “lost half” of herself when Olivia died after a long battle with cancer.

Singing makes her feel closer to her mother. “I was making up songs when I was 2 years old,” remembers Chloe. “I would say, ‘Now you sing it back, Mom.’”

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But following her mother into the entertainment field was a difficult road. Chloe signed a recording deal as a teenager, but the pressure was too much. “I had anorexia and I got sick, so my album didn’t come out,” she says. Olivia urged her to find her own path. “She said, ‘You’re very talented, but if you find that this industry is not making you happy, you don’t have to stay in it,’” says Chloe. “She wanted me to go to school actually.”

Today, Chloe views music as “an escape,” a way to “be of service” to others and to feel closer to Olivia. In 2015, “You Have to Believe,” a remix of Olivia’s song “Magic” featuring Chloe and DJ Dave Audé, hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart. Olivia and Chloe also released a duet, “Window in the Wall,” in 2021.

“I’m starting to realize that I’m going to put music out, but I’m not trying to be Beyoncé,” says Chloe, who is also drawn to producing. “I think I like being behind the scenes more than I do [being] in front.”

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Advancing the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre, which the Grease star founded in Australia in 2012, also keeps Chloe busy. “With her not here, my worst fear is that the Wellness Centre won’t get enough funding anymore,” she says of the organization that seeks to provide cutting-edge holistic treatment to cancer patients and their families. “My dream would be that every hospital would include a wellness center with acupuncture, herbs and therapy,” says Chloe, who will attend Olivia’s Walk for Wellness fundraiser on October 6. “I’m looking forward to the crowd and seeing the joy on their faces. I see my mom in that joy.”

From shortly after Olivia’s passing, Chloe has felt her mother’s presence. “I was walking around the property and my phone just took a picture and then my hair stood up,” recalls Chloe, who saw a “bright blue light” in the live photo. As she scrolled through the frames, she saw an orb circle around her dog, Jelly, who seemed to see it. “Since then, a blue orb has turned up in my photos about 20 times,” Chloe says. “I taught my mother about orbs, and she said, ‘If I can show up for you in a way that you’ll recognize me, I will.’”