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On his upcoming new album of reworked greatest hits, Cliff Richard is paying a poignant homage to his late lifelong friend Olivia Newton-John. Imagination GettyAlamy

Just over a year has passed since Olivia Newton-John's passing.

And her friends, admirers, and of course her family are still feeling the effects of the Australian pop icon's untimely passing in the music industry.

At the age of 73, Olivia Newton-John lost her protracted fight with breast cancer on August 8th, 2022.

Those closest to her and her music paid tribute to the influence she had on them after her passing.

Numerous celebrities, including John Travolta, Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, Paul Anka, Elton John, Dolly Parton, and others, expressed their love and support for the deceased celebrity.

The legendary British musician Cliff Richard, who had known Olivia for more than 50 years, expressed his deep sorrow over her demise.

At the time, he said on his Facebook page, "I find myself at a loss as to what to say."

"From this moment forward, I'll only believe that our darling Olivia's breathing has stopped. We shall miss her. Everyone will miss her, therefore let's all continue to think about and remember her.

And Cliff has kept his promise to keep Olivia's memory alive by paying tribute to her on his upcoming record.

Cliff's newest album will include symphonic arrangements of some of his best-known tunes. Press release image

Cliff has revealed a new album titled Cliff With Strings - My Kinda Life, on which the venerable pop icon will perform symphonic arrangements of his best-known songs.

Cliff also said that the album, which is slated for release on November 3rd 2023, will include an orchestral version of his and Olivia's popular duet "Suddenly."

When discussing the process of re-recording his well-known song as an homage to Olivia, he noted that it turned into a "emotional" experience because it involved reliving her memory through the music.

Cliff said, "Listening back to some of my early vocals and hearing how young I was and how my sound grew over the years is really an emotional experience.

These songs have a special meaning for me, and the orchestral arrangements give them a new energy. My personal favorite track off the album is "Suddenly," which features my close friend Olivia Newton-John.

"We recorded this version together live for my 75th birthday in 2015, and it always strikes me how well our voices sounded together and the crystal gentility that Olivia always managed to exude."

After revisiting a song that obviously held a lot of significance for him, Cliff said, "I'm delighted I was able to highlight this amazing performance again.

The song "Suddenly," which first debuted on the soundtrack for the 1980 musical fantasy Xanadu, has been reworked to include a more meaningful performance rather than the voices from the original recordings.

The vocals will be taken from the pair's final duet, which they performed in 2015 at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The vocals will be taken from the pair's final duet, which they performed in 2015 at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Since 1971, Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John have been friends. (Image courtesy of The Evening StandardHulton ArchiveGetty Images). Image Getty

In 1971, Olivia and Cliff first crossed paths when she frequently appeared as a guest performer on Cliff's own TV variety show.

Richard recalled their initial encounter and remarked, "We hit it off right away. She was the kind of soulmate you meet and immediately recognize as a lifelong friend.

As one of Cliff's backup singers, Olivia would also accompany him on tour. At one point, she was even engaged to Bruce Welch, who was Cliff's bandmate in The Shadows at the time.

"Olivia was already engaged to someone else when I and many others fell in love with her. Years later, when asked if he and Olivia had ever been romantically involved, he replied, "I'm afraid I lost the chance. No, as it turned out, but they remained close.