Olivia Newton-John, has died, at 73.
She broke out at the beginning of the 1970s as a country-pop singer, with single If Not For You, a Bob Dylan cover, becoming an unexpected hit in North America. She cemented her reputation in the genre with the assertive, Grammy-winning Let Me Be There, her first US Top 10 hit, the ballad I Honestly Love You and the plaintive Please Mr Please, which reached No 3 in the US pop charts, No 5 in its country charts and No 1 in easy listening.
By 1974, she had been named female vocalist of the year by the Country Music Association, and not without controversy – Newton-John beat Nashville royalty such as Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton to the prize, which prompted an industry protest.