Rona Newton-John 1943-2013 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 05-25-2013, 10:32 AM

Link

Olivia Newton-John's sister Rona - mother of singer Tottie Goldsmith and first wife of Melbourne nightclub king Brian Goldsmith - has died in the US.

Rona, 70, a Melbourne model and actress who left in the 1960s to seek fame and fortune - only to live in her younger sister's shadow - was diagnosed with brain cancer last month.

Olivia Newton-John was expected to issue a statement on Saturday night.

Her sister married Jeff Conaway, Olivia's co-star in Grease in the role of Kenickie, in 1980. They had a son, Emerson Newton-John, now a professional racing driver.

The marriage lasted only five years. Conaway, who battled drug addiction for many years, died almost two years ago to the day, on May 27, 2011.

Announcing her sister's illness last month, Olivia Newton-John, whose name is on the Austin Hospital's cancer centre which opened last year, said: ''As a cancer 'thriver' myself … I am very aware of the importance of love, support and family during this journey.'' The singer postponed a residency in Las Vegas to be with her sister.

The Newton-John sisters are the daughters of former Master of Ormond College at Melbourne University, Brinley Newton-John, and his wife, the late Irene - who was the daughter of Max Born, a Nobel Prize winner for physics and close friend of Albert Einstein.

Rona had been working for several years on a memoir, The Dark Side Of Charisma, listed on Amazon.com as scheduled for release in June this year.

The publicity material says it ''gives a vivid picture of show business and theatrical life and that of the film world in the '60s and '70s; and of a star who worked with the directors Harry Saltzman and Don Kirchner in Hollywood, and the actors Stanley Baker, James Clavell and Peter O'Toole on the other side of the Atlantic.''

catlover79 · 05-25-2013, 11:21 AM

God bless Olivia and the rest of the family.

Here are the sisters with Rona's fiancee Jeff Conaway on The Mike Douglas Show in 1979:

Marvo301 · 05-25-2013, 02:59 PM

Rona Newton-John. My thoughts and prayers go out to Olivia and the rest of the family.

gidgetgrape · 05-25-2013, 03:08 PM

RIP

Regulus · 05-25-2013, 03:36 PM

Janice · 05-25-2013, 04:25 PM

Very sad. She seemed like a real nice lady, and very close with her sister. The loss of a sibling is very hard. You have that shared history with them.

catlover79 · 05-25-2013, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janice

Very sad. She seemed like a real nice lady, and very close with her sister. The loss of a sibling is very hard. You have that shared history with them.

Plus, she was still friendly with Jeff and tried to get him help, right until his passing. So sad that she only outlived him by a couple of years.

Penny Lane · 05-25-2013, 07:02 PM

So so sad! I can't even imagine losing my Sis. She's my best friend. RIP Rona

Family Ties Forever! · 05-25-2013, 08:11 PM

RIP

05-25-2013, 10:32 AM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,352	Rona Newton-John 1943-2013 Link Olivia Newton-John's sister Rona - mother of singer Tottie Goldsmith and first wife of Melbourne nightclub king Brian Goldsmith - has died in the US. Rona, 70, a Melbourne model and actress who left in the 1960s to seek fame and fortune - only to live in her younger sister's shadow - was diagnosed with brain cancer last month. Olivia Newton-John was expected to issue a statement on Saturday night. Her sister married Jeff Conaway, Olivia's co-star in Grease in the role of Kenickie, in 1980. They had a son, Emerson Newton-John, now a professional racing driver. The marriage lasted only five years. Conaway, who battled drug addiction for many years, died almost two years ago to the day, on May 27, 2011. Announcing her sister's illness last month, Olivia Newton-John, whose name is on the Austin Hospital's cancer centre which opened last year, said: ''As a cancer 'thriver' myself … I am very aware of the importance of love, support and family during this journey.'' The singer postponed a residency in Las Vegas to be with her sister. The Newton-John sisters are the daughters of former Master of Ormond College at Melbourne University, Brinley Newton-John, and his wife, the late Irene - who was the daughter of Max Born, a Nobel Prize winner for physics and close friend of Albert Einstein. Rona had been working for several years on a memoir, The Dark Side Of Charisma, listed on Amazon.com as scheduled for release in June this year. The publicity material says it ''gives a vivid picture of show business and theatrical life and that of the film world in the '60s and '70s; and of a star who worked with the directors Harry Saltzman and Don Kirchner in Hollywood, and the actors Stanley Baker, James Clavell and Peter O'Toole on the other side of the Atlantic.''
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05-25-2013, 11:21 AM	#2
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	God bless Olivia and the rest of the family. Here are the sisters with Rona's fiancee Jeff Conaway on The Mike Douglas Show in 1979:
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05-25-2013, 02:59 PM	#3
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,452	Rona Newton-John. My thoughts and prayers go out to Olivia and the rest of the family.
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05-25-2013, 03:36 PM	#5
Regulus Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 07, 2011 Location: Port Orange, Florida Avatar - Poiuyt Posts: 3,374
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05-25-2013, 07:02 PM	#8
Penny Lane Butter Pie Forum Icon Join Date: Jul 03, 2001 Location: Beneath the blue suburban skies Posts: 51,060	So so sad! I can't even imagine losing my Sis. She's my best friend. RIP Rona
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05-25-2013, 03:08 PM	#4
gidgetgrape Forever Gidget Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 20, 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 3,503	RIP

05-25-2013, 04:25 PM	#6
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Very sad. She seemed like a real nice lady, and very close with her sister. The loss of a sibling is very hard. You have that shared history with them.

05-25-2013, 08:11 PM	#9
Family Ties Forever! Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 16, 2002 Location: Keaton residence Posts: 10,214	RIP
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