• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • ABOUT US
  • MEDIA
  • PRIVACY
  • TERMS
  • DMCA
  • CONTACT US
  • AUTHORS
do you remember

DoYouRemember?

The Home of Nostalgia

  • Celebrity News
    • Family
    • Obituaries
    • Life Behind the Fame
    • ICONS
    • Celebrity Feuds
  • Entertainment
    • Cast
    • Showbiz Rewind
    • Music
    • Beauty & fashion
  • STORIES
  • Celebrity Buzz!?
  • Sitcoms
    • Bewitched
    • Little Rascals
    • The Partridge Family
    • I Dream of Jeannie
    • All in the Family
    • MASH
    • Happy Days
    • Cheers
  • Celebrity Collections
  • SHOP DYR
    • DYR Book

Stories

Olivia Newton-John Found Comfort In Boyfriend Patrick McDermott’s Ex After He Vanished

by Dana Daly

Published August 10, 2022

Olivia Newton-John became friends with Yvette Nipar after tragedy

Olivia Newton-John, who died this week at 73, was known as many things: an actress and star of Grease, a singer-songwriter with four Grammy wins to her name, and an advocate for cancer research. She also became the friend of one Yvette Nipar, the ex-wife of Newton-John’s boyfriend of nine years Patrick McDermott.

But Newton-John and Nipar’s companionship was actually rooted in tragedy. After nearly a decade of dating Newton-John, McDermott vanished. Since his disappearance in 2005, there have been no definitive answers about what happened. In the wake of this loss and the ensuing investigations, Newton-John grew close with Nipar, who is now mourning the death of her “sweet friend.”

Related:

  1. Shipwreck Discovered Almost 100 Years After It Vanished… In The Bermuda Triangle
  2. John Travolta Honors Olivia Newton-John’s Birthday In Touching Instagram Post

The complicated relationships between Olivia Newton-John, Patrick McDermott, and Yvette Nipar

Actress Yvette Nipar
Actress Yvette Nipar / © Rysher Entertainment / Courtesy: Everett Collection

In the early ’90s, Newton-John had been married to Matt Lattanzi. The two divorced and Newton-John met cameraman and lighting specialist Patrick McDermott. McDermott himself had just come out of a two-year marriage to Nipar. He and Newton-John dated on and off for nine years. Then, in 2005, McDermott booked a solo fishing trip along the coast of California. The U.S. Coast Guard launched an investigation and reports claimed McDermott owed child support money and had filed for bankruptcy, suggesting he faked his death to disappear.

RELATED: Breaking: ‘Grease’ Star Olivia Newton-John Dies At 73

Ultimately, the Coast Guard investigation did not find definitive proof of foul play, suicide, or fraud and believed McDermott was “lost at sea.” The investigation did not produce a conclusive answer but it did bring Newton-John closer to Nipar.

Newton-John and Nipar became friends

My sweet friend–I will miss you forever. 😞💔 #olivianewtonjohnforever ❤️ https://t.co/nNrlslNmpp

— Yvette Nipar (@YvetteNipar) August 8, 2022

In 2006, in an interview with Larry King she said, “I’ve become very close to his ex-wife, Yvette, who’s a wonderful person, and we’ve become good friends and I see his son, and he’s thriving. He’s doing really well.” According to an Instagram post by Nipar, Newton-John called her shortly after the interview to ask after the family, knowing Nipar is protective of her son getting mentioned in the mystery.

Olivia Newton-John and Yvette Nipar developed a lasting friendship
Olivia Newton-John and Yvette Nipar developed a lasting friendship / 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Photo Credit: Brent Perniac/AdMedia / ImageCollect

Now, Nipar is mourning. Back in 2019, the two participated in the Olivia Newton-John Wellness Walk and Research Run, based in Australia and run by the cancer research foundation Newton-John started. This week, Nipar shared that same photo, this time with the caption, “My sweet friend–I will miss you forever. #olivianewtonjohnforever.”

Newton-John
Newton-John / mjt/AdMedia / ImageCollect

RELATED: Why Olivia Newton-John Initially Didn’t Want To Release ‘Physical’

Next up: ‘Grease’ Star Didi Conn Talks About Olivia Newton-John’s Final Days
Previous article: ‘Grease’ Star Didi Conn Talks About Olivia Newton-John’s Final Days
Next Post: Jane Seymour Recalls Special Bond With The Late Olivia Newton-John

Primary Sidebar

© 2025 DoYouRemember? Inc.

  • about us
  • media
  • privacy
  • terms
  • DMCA
  • CONTACT US
  • AUTHORS