Music legend and 80s heartthrob Richard Marx has been making ladies swoon for decades.
And although the veteran hit maker has been married twice, he admits there was only ever one woman who made him weak at the knees – the late Olivia Newton-John.
In a recent interview with the Herald Sun, Richard opened up about his secret crush on the Grease star and how they remained friends until her death in August 2022.
“I was so madly in love with her from a distance and then when I got to know her, I genuinely was crushing on her,” Richard revealed.
“When I would be around her, I would just stare at her and she would walk by me and I would just smell the air,” he added.
Richard met Olivia, who was 15 years his senior, when he was 19 and still trying to make it in the music industry. He says the pair instantly hit it off.
“We were friends to the end. I miss her and I think about her all the time.”
This isn’t the first time the 61-year-old has talked about being infatuated with Australia’s sweetheart.
In fact, he once admitted to staring at her album covers as a teenager and wishing he was her boyfriend.
“When I actually met her, that feeling went into warp speed. But she was married to Matt Lattanzi and I never had a crack.”
He continued: “I used to play the Xanadu soundtrack in my bedroom and sing the Cliff Richard part of ‘Suddenly’ and pretend to be him. I’d close my eyes and picture Olivia looking back at me.”
Much to Olivia’s surprise, Richard admits he even once professed his love to her in a letter.
“I have never told anybody this except my wife,” Richard said. “I just thought I have to put it out there.”
Unfortunately, Richard wasn’t the one Olivia wanted.
“To her credit – she carried on and said: ‘That makes me feel so happy’. She handled everything with grace and elegance and that really began our deep friendship.”
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