John Travolta delivers an emotional tribute to his close friend Olivia Newton-John at the Oscars

According to HarpersBazaar, certain friendships hold a unique significance, and certain friends are truly special. When those friends pass away, we often reminisce about the conversations we shared with them. John Travolta recently honored his late friend and “Grease” co-star, Olivia Newton-John, during the Oscars ceremony.

John Travolta presented the ‘In Memoriam’ segment at the Oscars held in Los Angeles, where he paid tribute to the talents who passed away in the last year. Although he did not mention Olivia Newton-John by name, Travolta spoke about forging friendships in the entertainment industry.

“In this industry, we have the rare luxury of getting to do what we love for a living, and sometimes getting to do it with people that we come to love,” he stated, “Since tonight is a celebration of the work and the accomplishments of our community and this past year, it is only fitting then that we celebrate those we’ve lost who’ve dedicated their lives to their craft, both in front of and behind the camera. Through their immeasurable contributions, each of them left an individual and indelible mark that shared and informed us,” according to PEOPLE.

John Travolta choked up when referencing his late ‘Grease’ co-star Olivia Newton-John while introducing the #Oscars In Memoriam segment, featuring Lenny Kravitz pic.twitter.com/JwQkZMY1hp

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 13, 2023

After paying tribute to his industry friends, John Travolta then asked the audience to remember their “those dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to.” This quote was a reference to the iconic song “Hopelessly Devoted to You” from the movie “Grease,” in which Olivia Newton-John played Sandy Olsson and sang the song while recalling her love for Travolta’s character, Danny Zuko.

The emotional moment was followed by Lenny Kravitz’s performance of “Calling All Angels” while a presentation displayed black and white pictures of recently deceased Hollywood creators.

Not John Travolta quoting hopelessly devoted to you by Olivia newton john in his introduction to the #Oscars tribute performance pic.twitter.com/pJATpFMbaD

— . (@barchiebaby) March 13, 2023

Olivia Newton-John passed away on August 8, 2022, after battling breast cancer for 30 years. John Travolta, her close friend, expressed his emotions in an Instagram post following her death. He shared a throwback photo of Newton-John and captioned it with heartfelt words, “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”

According to Variety, some actors were omitted from the Memoriam segment, including Anne Heeche, Charlbi Dean from “Triangle of Sadness,” and Paul Sorvino. Nonetheless, the Oscars website has memorialized them.

Oh, no. My heart was not ready for John Travolta introducing the #Oscars In Memoriam for Olivia Newton John. pic.twitter.com/QS4QUTbISW

— Olivia Truffaut-Wong (@iWatchiAm) March 13, 2023

Erik Hemendorff, the producer of “Triangle of Sadness,” spoke highly of Charlbi Dean, stating to The Hollywood Reporter that “She was just one of those people who made everyone feel great always. You could do as many takes as you want. She was always ready for the next one, a professional. The nicest, most easygoing person, very hardworking. She was one of a kind.”

During the Memoriam segment, the Academy recognized several notable figures, including actors Ray Liotta, James Caan, Louise Fletcher, Angela Lansbury, Raquel Welch, and Gina Lollobrigida, directors Bob Rafaelson and Wolfgang Petersen, and songwriter Burt Bacharach. The final slide of the segment was dedicated to Walter Mirisch, a former Academy president and producer.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Travolta (@johntravolta)

In May, Ray Liotta passed away at the age of 67. He had recently acted in the film “Cocaine Bear.” During his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony last month, his daughter Karsen expressed how proud she was of her father, stating, “I couldn’t be more proud of him. He was a one-of-a-kind actor and the best friend, brother, and father anyone could have asked for. I lucked out with you.”