AceShowbiz - Dame Olivia Newton-John's grieving husband has recalled how every day with her was a "bit of magic." John Easterling has described the "Grease" actress, who died of cancer last August at the age of 73, as "the most courageous and compassionate woman" he had ever met as he reflected on the star's legacy at the G'Day USA Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 28.

He told the audience, which included pop star Katy Perry and model Miranda Kerr, "We shared a love and a happiness on an order of magnitude that I didn't even think was possible. Olivia and I unexpectedly, madly, deeply, forever fell in love in the Amazon rainforest. For the past 15 years, I've been blessed to share the depth and the passion of her being."

Easterling, the founder and president of the Amazon Herb Company, added, "Every day with Olivia was a bit of magic. Every day with Olivia was supernatural. She was the most courageous and compassionate woman that I've ever known, with a calming capacity to genuinely care about other people."

John was married to the "Xanadu" hitmaker from 2008 until her passing last year and remembered how his wife gave her name to cancer research centers in both Australia and the United States after she battled breast cancer three times. He said, "There's an old adage that like attracts like, and Olivia knew that her voice and her huge profile of talents were a gift. Her legacy continues as a joyful, healing spirit who is continuously focused on moving things, in her words, 'into the love and the light.' "