Grease’ Star’s Life Took an Unexpected Turn—Find Out What Happened!

The veteran star couldn’t hold her son when he was a baby, which was a “tricky” situation for her. While caring for him, she faced great heartbreak, losing both her friend and her parents, all to the same devastating disease.

The actress is best known for her role in the hit musical Grease, where she formed a lasting bond with a co-star. However, she later took a break from her career to focus on raising her autistic son, but has since made a successful return to acting.

Her journey has been filled with both professional achievements and personal challenges. The actress is well-known for playing Frenchy in Grease, a role that made a lasting impact on pop culture.

At the time of filming Grease in 1978, she was 25 years old, portraying a beauty-school dropout. Soon after the film’s release, her personal life changed, and she ended her marriage to actor Frank, whom she had married in 1975.

The star found love again after closing one chapter of her life, marrying composer David Shire in 1982. They adopted a son, Daniel Shire, affectionately known as Danny.

Fully dedicating herself to motherhood, the actress stepped away from her career to care for Danny, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. He is very sensitive to sound and needs constant supervision.

Danny is on the autism spectrum, and his mother described him as “high-functioning but pretty impaired.” She also recalled his early struggles, like having “terrible tantrums and horrible fits of frustration because he wasn’t speaking.”

Despite these challenges, the loving mom expressed amazement at her son’s ability to communicate as he grew older, especially after the difficulties he faced early on. Although Danny started speaking as a young child, he later “lost it,” a behavior common for those with autism.

Reflecting on his progress, she shared in an interview, “But since he’s doing better, I feel better. And I feel that I could do things, more adult things.”

She admitted that she took on too much without seeking help, even from friends. She didn’t talk about her struggles with Danny because they didn’t understand, a situation she partly attributes to her own reluctance to open up.

This lack of openness led to a temporary separation in her marriage. However, despite the struggles, she holds no resentment toward her husband, knowing it was “too much” for him at the time. The couple later reconciled and is now closer than ever.

The actress and David Shire attended a BIG The Musical gala performance in London in 2019.

Despite the challenges of raising an autistic child, special moments made it all worthwhile. In 2019, the New York native shared a memorable milestone: hearing Danny say “I love you” for the first time at the age of 26.

For someone with autism, who often struggles with expressing emotions, this was a major breakthrough. She remembered, “I was leaving to fly to the UK, and he said it on the phone. I kept saying, ‘say it again, baby.’ And he did.”

It was a touching moment for her, and when Danny asked why she was crying, she explained it was because of “happy tears.” She added, “I couldn’t really hold him as a baby, as he was so sensitive and didn’t like to be held, so that was tricky. It really was something special to hear.”

After Danny, now 33, moved to a self-sustaining farm with 24-hour care, his mother, actress Didi Conn, embraced a new chapter by joining Dancing on Ice in the UK. Though she initially felt self-conscious about her skating, thoughts of her son inspired her to continue.

Didi Conn and Lukasz Rozycki attended a Dancing on Ice photocall in December 2018 in London.

She compared parenting an autistic child to being in a different realm, where even small progress is a big achievement. Now a grandmother thanks to her stepson Matthew Shire, she emphasized the importance of self-compassion and recognizing personal growth over time.

Her experience gave her the chance to rediscover herself beyond being just a mother, describing the decision as an opportunity to explore “who is Didi, not Didi mommy.” Along with this challenge, she returned to acting, appearing in Blue Bloods, The Oh Gees, and Harlan Coben’s Shelter.

In addition to her personal growth and career comeback, Conn has faced profound loss. She lost both her parents to cancer. Her mother’s breast cancer later spread to lung cancer, and her father passed away from leukemia.

After they died, she felt “a relief of sadness” that was different from grief, which she described as “its own kind of sadness.” She explained that her mother carried a lot of sadness, much of which she unknowingly took on herself.

“There was this sense of something that just released in me,” she said. Her mother’s death was especially hard because it was unexpected. Conn noted how cancer often seems to retreat, only to return and devastate families.

The same disease claimed her close friend, Olivia Newton-John, who passed away in August 2022 at 73. Later that month, Conn opened up about her grief during an appearance on Loose Women. She became emotional when a photo of Newton-John appeared, admitting, “It’s still very fresh,” as she wiped away tears.

Conn remembered meeting Newton-John on the set of Grease, describing her as a “beauty.” On their first day of filming, Newton-John was nervous and even shaking.

To ease her co-star’s tension, Conn joked, “Oh, I’m so happy to have a friend from Australia and you live right next door.” Newton-John, confused, asked if the line was in the script.

Olivia Newton-John and Didi Conn with co-stars on the set of Grease, 1978.

Conn kept the playful mood going, which made Newton-John ask which school she attended in Australia before realizing it was a joke. Moments later, the director called “action,” and the two performed their scene. Afterward, Newton-John thanked Conn for her kindness.

Their friendship lasted for decades. In a 2023 interview, Conn revealed that she had spoken to Newton-John just weeks before her death. The two remained in contact and spoke monthly, even as Newton-John battled advanced cancer.

Didi Conn and Olivia Newton-John at the Grease 40th Anniversary in Beverly Hills, California, in 2018.

During their last conversation, Newton-John was in the hospital after breaking her leg. She hadn’t even noticed the fracture due to her declining health. Despite her own illness, she worried about Conn’s health, saying, “What?! Why didn’t you tell me?” Afterward, Newton-John sent Conn a beautiful orchid.

Olivia Newton-John and Didi Conn performing on stage in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January 2015.

“Three days before she died, one of the orchid flowers fell down, and my heart stopped,” Conn said. “I said, ‘I hope that’s not a sign.’” Newton-John passed away after a long battle with breast cancer, which she had fought since 1992.

The disease returned in 2013 and 2017, eventually reaching stage 4. Her friendship with Conn lasted more than 40 years.

Didi Conn’s journey has been full of personal loss, dedication to her family, and a revived career. Her deep friendship with Olivia Newton-John and her advocacy for autism awareness continue to inspire many.