Chloe Lattanzi says she still feels like “a little girl lost” following the death of her mother, Olivia Newton-John.
The actress paid tribute to her late mom – who lost her battle with breast cancer in August 2022 at the age of 73 – with a heartbreaking speech at a state memorial service held Sunday in Melbourne, Australia.
“My heart is broken in two, the other half is with my mama. I know she’s holding it for me until we meet again,” Lattanzi began.
“I stand here before you so desperately, wanting to feel strong and confident and speak eloquently, but the truth is I feel like a little girl lost without her mother.”
Lattanzi called the “Grease” star her “safe space,” “guide,” “biggest fan” and “the earth beneath my feet.”
She also shared “some of [her] favorite memories of mama,” noting they “shared the same cackle.”
“We loved watching our trashy TV shows together and immediately changed the channel when [husband] John [Easterling] walked in the room. We pretended we were watching educational shows about plant medicine,” she continued.
“I know she’s here, standing beside me and within me. I can hear her voice, [saying], ‘You’re safe, my darling. Don’t be afraid. You’re so much stronger than you think. Speak from your heart. That’s all you have to do.”
Lattanzi also told the crowd at Hamer Hall in Arts Centre Melbourne that her mother “could find the beauty in everything.”
“My favorite thing to do was watch her watching the birds and the flowers, smelling her roses and the joy it brought to her face was a thing of beauty. I loved making her tea and then making it five times again until I got it right,” she recalled.
“I loved our snuggles. I would crawl into bed with her late at night, even until I was 20 years old. I loved the way she smelled, nothing felt safer to me. I loved writing music and singing with her and how she would always notice if I was slightly off-key … I love how she loved fully and completely.”
Easterling, 70, also paid tribute to his late wife with a heartfelt speech, along with Australian singer Delta Goodrem, who portrayed the actress in the 2018 biopic miniseries, “Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You.”
The Grammy winner’s enduring legacy around the world was felt as video tributes poured in from pals like Elton John, Hugh Jackman, Dolly Parton, Pink, Barry Gibb and Mariah Carey.
Newton-John was first diagnosed with cancer in 1992 and later in 2013 and 2017. The disease subsequently progressed to stage 4, and she spoke candidly about managing the pain with medical marijuana.
Chloe, whom Newton-John welcomed with ex-husband Matt Lattanzi, was her only child.