Cliff Richard recreates moving 'Suddenly' duet with Olivia Newton-John 6 months after her death

21 December 2022, 12:04

Cliff Richard has given a moving tribute to Olivia Newton-John by reenacting a duet with the star six months after she passed away in August 2022.

Sir Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John and a life-long friendship.

The pair first met in the 1970s and performed together many times, most notably on the song 'Suddenly' for Olivia Newton-John's 1980 musical fantasy film Xanadu.

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Taking to the stage for a special televised broadcast on Sunday (December 18), Cliff Richard gave a moving speech about the last months of his friendship with Olivia, before launching into an incredible reenacted duet between the pair.

Using footage from the pair singing in both the early 80s and from a moving performance they gave in 2015 to celebrate Cliff's 75th birthday at the Royal Albert Hall, Cliff and Olivia were reunited on stage once again to perform the song that bonded the pair.

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As the pair performed together, older footage of Olivia was played, including quiet moments between the pair back when they first met in the 1970s, and close-ups Olivia of laughing in her youth.

The video also shows Olivia wheeling out a huge birthday cake for Cliff's birthday, as Cliff yells in surprise and embraces the star.

The footage then cuts back to Cliff singing on his own in the present day, clearly incredibly moved by his dedication to his dear friend.

In a short introduction before his performance, Sir Cliff gave an insight into Olivia Newton-John's last days before her death, adding that despite knowing she was sick, her death still came "as a shock".

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"The thing is, talking about Olivia was almost impossible for me after hearing that she had died," Cliff began.

Watch Sir Cliff Richard's performance of 'Suddenly' and tribute to Olivia Newton-John below:

Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard ‘Suddenly’ #olivianewtonjohn #cliffrichard

"Just a few weeks before I'd spoken to her, and she typically was saying 'G-day Cliff, how are ya darling'?' and when people asked me how she was I thought, well she's really bouncy.

"But of course the battle against cancer... we knew it would end somehow, but it was a terrible shock," he said, soulfully.

"And I think I speak for all of us; everybody loved her, men and women. She was not a threat to anybody. You couldn't help but love Olivia Newton-John."