Olivia Newton-John is the most positive person in the world but the repeat cancer sufferer has been privately winding up her assets, which include massive property holdings all over the world.
The first steps towards settling her estate accelerated after her 2018 hospital stay in Melbourne, when excruciating pain in her back kept her in bed, almost comatose, and being cared for by nursing staff for more than 10 days.
Consolidating
At crisis point, Olivia Newton-John, 70, had to delay her return to the US because she was physically unable to board the plane.
Although on one hand she was publicly declaring she’d beat the disease, she realised she had to face the reality of what would happen if she suddenly died with so much unresolved. This set into motion selling her beloved Ballina home and rewriting her will.
Luckily the process was smoothed by the fact that she and second husband John have always remained separate in a financial sense – and ONJ plans to leave the bulk of her $100 million-plus fortune to Chloe Lattanzi.
WATCH: Olivia Newton John on her fight with cancer. Post continues after the video…
This was as much John’s decision as Olivia’s – his “Amazon John” business was booming when they first got together and he didn’t need his famous wife’s fortune.
When they married, Olivia sold up in Malibu so they could live together in John’s existing home in Florida, but then she purchased a Florida home in her name only, and when that sold she bought the ranch through a trust.
It’s this trust, which friends say would easily be worth more than $100 million, which will distribute her assets after her death, and will also be the way Olivia will seek to protect her only daughter and thus be able to rest in peace.
Olivia calls Chloe her “greatest miracle.” (Images: Getty)
“The hardest thing for Olivia isn’t dying, it’s the thought of leaving Chloe behind, fragile and virtually alone in the world. This causes her the most grief and torment,” confides a family friend.
“Olivia is a very wealthy woman, much wealthier than people imagine. She owns a lot of property in her hometown of Melbourne, and earns millions still each year from her songs and films. This will all go to Chloe.”
READ NEXT: A look back at ONJ’s incredible life story
“The hardest thing for Olivia isn’t dying, it’s the thought of leaving Chloe behind, fragile and virtually alone in the world.” (Image: Getty)
Caring for family
Chloe, 33, really is the love of Olivia’s life, with the singer calling her “my greatest miracle” and being a mother to her “my greatest joy”, even with all of Chloe’s problems, including botched cosmetic surgeries, alcohol and drug issues and her anorexia battle.
“In Olivia’s eyes, Chloe is the most beautiful girl in the world but also the most vulnerable and she dreads the thought of what will happen when she’s not around to watch over her,” the friend explains.
“Her father Matt, who once lived in a tepee, is borderline kooky and appears to act as Chloe’s fun uncle rather than a father figure, while her fiance James Driskill has frustrated Olivia, not just for dragging his feet on the marriage for nearly a decade – he can also seem dismissive of what it takes to fund his and Chloe’s lifestyle.”
Olivia just wants what’s best for her only child. (Image: Getty)
“Olivia bought Chloe the farm she and James live on to inspire them to carve a path through the medical marijuana industry like her husband John is doing, but it hasn’t yet been the success she envisaged for Chloe.”
“Chloe has never worked, apart from making music in her mother’s studio and Olivia worries about her lack of direction and how she can be unduly influenced by others.”
“Olivia also feels guilty, blaming herself for leaving her at home with nannies so much during her formative years while she went on tour,” says the friend.
“Now Olivia is desperate to make up for what she sees as shortcomings by locking everything down safely for her daughter’s future.”
