Olivia Newton-John tragically died aged 73 on August 8.
A host of famous faces have since paid tribute to the actress, who was best known for her role as Sandy in the 1978 cult classic ‘Grease’.
Upon the news of her passing, long-forgotten details of her fascinating life have re-emerged – including a mysterious story about the disappearance of her ex.
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Olivia met cameraman Patrick McDermott in 1996, after her 1995 divorce from her first husband Matt Lattanzi, and the couple dated on and off for nine years.
On June 30 2005, he embarked on an overnight fishing trip off the coast of California with 22 others whilst Olivia was on promotional tour in Australia.
However, the 48-year-old eerily vanished before boat returned to shore.
No-one realised Patrick was missing until he failed to attend a family event on July 6, and the police were eventually called in to investigate on July 11.
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Crew on board the fishing boat found Patrick’s car keys, passport and wallet, and his car was later found parked at the San Pedro marina in Los Angeles.
A US Coast Guard investigation “did not find any evidence of criminal action, suicide, accident or hoax in the disappearance of McDermott” hypothesised that “McDermott was lost at sea.”
A three-year investigation into the ‘Freedom’ fishing boat found that it hadn’t carried out any head counts on the day of the trip.
It concluded that he had probably been lost at sea during the night.
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In 2010 a private investigator hired by a US TV program claimed that Patrick was alive in Mexico, and had more than likely faked his death for a life insurance pay out.
The 48-year-old had previously been briefly married and fathered a son, and a court had ordered him to pay $8000 in backdated child support prior to his death.
He had filed for bankruptcy with debts of more than $30,000, furthering speculation around the circumstances of his death.
There have been multiple “sightings” of Patrick around Mexico, where he was said to have been living on a yacht off the coast of Sayulita and Acapulco.
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One investigator John Nazarian said in 2016, “It’s rumoured he was with a German national. I spoke to people there. The girl he was travelling with was described as having a German accent.”
“To come up with the conclusion that he fell off the boat, and allegedly no-one saw him fall off the boat, is the most preposterous thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”
However, repeated manhunt by police, the media and detectives have never been able to prove this theory.
Speaking about her ex’s disappearance, Olivia said: “I don’t think I will ever really be at peace with it. I think there will always be a question mark.”
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