Who Did Olivia Newton-John Think Was the Greatest Singer Ever? She Revealed the Answer in Her Final On-Camera Interview

Australian actress and singer Olivia Newton-John holds a press conference at the Inn On The Park, London, UK, 29th November 1978. She is starring in the 1978 film adaptation of the musical 'Grease'. — Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

With her smooth, silky voice, the late Olivia Newton-John is the favorite singer of many. But who is her favorite singer? In a recently unearthed rare intervoew video, the Grease and Xanadu singer weighed in on who she thought possessed the all-time best pair of pipes.

In the interview, Newton-John gushed, “Oh gosh, her music, her voice, Karen’s voice is one of those voices that goes right to your soul, right to your heart. It has that rich, warm undertone that nobody else has.” The Karen she is referring to is none other than Karen Carpenter, a fellow singer and one-time close friend to Newton-John.

Newton-John raved about Carpenter’s voice, saying that she had “perfect pitch” and “the most wonderful tone.” She also praised Richard Carpenter for knowing how to pull the best out of her to release the most beautiful music, adding that their productions are “timeless.”

Raphael/TV Guide/Everett Collection

The footage of Newton-John was featured in a 2023 documentary called Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection, which covered Carpenter and her struggles. The late Newton-John admitted that she felt Carpenter really wanted to get away from the Carpenters’ sound, do her own thing and make her own decisions. She said Carpenter was very excited about her upcoming solo projects but the family didn’t meet it with the same kind of enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, Karen passed away at the age of 32 from heart failure, which occurred as a result of her struggles with eating disorders.

In the documentary, Newton-John said that she was actually on her way to meet Carpenter for lunch when she learned of her untimely death on February 4, 1983. This interview was Newton-John’s final on-camera interview before her own death in 2022 after a battle with cancer.

A new documentary about Newton-John is also coming to Netflix. It was announced this year but no word yet on when it will be released.

Watch the entire interview clip below: