Sir Cliff Richard recalls final phone call with ‘soulmate’ Dame Olivia Newton-John: ‘I never thought I would be writing this’

metro.co.uk:

Cliff Richard has paid tribute to his close friend Dame Olivia Newton-John after her death aged 73.The musicians had been thick as thieves for decades, with Sir Cliff previously describing her as his ‘soulmate’ when writing in his memoir.Now Sir Cliff is among the dozens of high-profile celebrities – Dame Olivia’s friends and co-stars – paying tribute to her incredible life.The mum-of-one died on Monday, ‘peacefully’ and surrounded by family, her husband announced.

While her cause of death has not been confirmed, Dame Olivia had lived with breast cancer for 30 years.She had spent years helping other people diagnosed with the disease through the Olivia Newton-John foundation, with Sir Cliff praising her ‘upbeat’ approach to life.He also opened up about their final phone call, and admitted he never thought he would be writing a memorial to her just three weeks later.Taking to social media, Sir Cliff began by admitting he was ‘at a loss as to what to say.’He wrote that death ‘is a vicious enemy and all of us will be taken by him,’ adding: ‘But all us are not taken by him at the same time and so while Olivia remains in our minds and memories, she remains very much alive!!’Sir Cliff described himself as ‘just one of an army of lucky people who knew and loved’ Dame Olivia, asking: ‘How could we not love her?’‘She was gorgeous, gifted and had a heart of Gold.‘Also, a bunch of Records that were Gold, but her Golden Heart is is her legacy to us (sic).’He recalled how, when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer, Dame Olivia ‘put her career on hold for years.’‘Why?

Because she wanted to inspire other sufferers to do as she did… fight the ugly disease, although she said in one interview that she wasn’t in a battle with cancer.