Sophia Michaels
Pink honored singer-actress icon Olivia Newton-John with a touching performance of her 1978 Grease classic “Hopelessly Devoted to You” at the 2022 American Music Awards.
Wearing a beige, feathered dress in front of a backdrop of flashing images of ONJ, Pink paid tribute to the late icon as she hit every high note from the film classic, originally performed by Newton-John’s character Sandy, to perfection.
As the musician performed the classic, the audience sang along and waved their hands. By the end, Pink let out a sigh of relief as the audience clapped during a standing ovation.
Pink was introduced by Melissa Etheridge, who honored the late singer-actress that died of breast cancer with a speech dedicated to the star’s “sweetness” and star-power.
“You stood in awe of her welcoming beauty, and you basked in the feeling that she was connecting to you alone. But when she opened her mouth to sing you knew instantly, you’d have to share her with the world,” Etheridge said. “As her tens of millions of fans will attest, to hear her sing — whether live at a theater or up on the silver screen — was to feel the power of art to transform the feelings we all have of love, of elation, and disappointment into something sublime.”
“In tribute to the fantastic and talented Olivia, and performing ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You,’ please welcome Pink,” she added.
Newton-John — who died in August at the age of 73 — won 10 American Music Awards over the course of her career, picking up her first four in 1974, for Favorite Female Artist in both the Country and Pop/Rock categories, Favorite Country Album (for Let Me Be There) and Favorite Pop/Rock Single (for “I Honestly Love You.” She also won AMAs for the Grease soundtrack in 1978, and picked up Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist in 1982 amidst the success of her smash hit “Physical.”
Pink previously honored Newton-John after her death, sharing a photo of the two of them on Instagram and writing, “I met her maybe three times — and she was an absolute angel. One of the loveliest, kindest, light from within human beings I have ever met. Kindness personified. May she Rest In Peace and may her family be held in love and light during this difficult time.”
Pink opened the 2022 American Music Awards earlier in the evening, performing her “Never Gonna Not Dance Again” while on roller skates. The pop star released the track earlier this month, marking her second song of the year, following, “Irrelevant.”
