A contractor working at the home of Olivia Newton-John and her husband John Easterling was found shot to death this afternoon. The specifics of what exactly happened are still a little unclear at this point, but whispers around the crime scene are pointing to a suicide rather than a murder. Either way, it’s a horrifying blow both for the man’s family and for the famous couple who were paying the unidentified forty-two-year-old to renovate their home as part of an upcoming sale.
According to The Palm Beach Post, police were called to the scene a little after noon today. They descended on the .35 acre Jupiter Inlet Colony home not long after and quickly discovered the body. They’ve refusing to speak publically about a cause of death, but the local papers are already calling it a suicide. A full autopsy will be conducted tomorrow, as per E!, and more than likely, authorities will be more willing to speak on the record afterwards.
Newton-John and Easterling were reportedly making a few repairs prior to selling the house for $5.6 million to popular television personality Rosie O’Donnell. The sale would have netted them a tidy profit from the $4.1 million they paid back in 2009, but it’s unclear whether this tragedy will either delay or totally cancel the transaction. Regardless, the beautiful home in the exclusive community should sell sooner rather than later given its proximity to the Juniper Inlet Lighthouse and the peaceful nature of the exclusive subdivision.
The past few weeks have been filled with a lot of sad news in the entertainment community. Actor Lee Thompson Young was found this morning after committing suicide, and model/ former Bachelor contestant Gia Allemand was discovered last week after making her own decision to end it. Those loses, coupled with that of Lisa Robyn Kelly who passed at 43 while in rehab, have overturned a lot of lives. This unnamed contractor obviously wasn’t in the entertainment industry, but he no doubt had friends and family members who loved him. Besides, whether they knew him well or not, his death has no doubt been an extremely jarring experience for Newton-John and Easterling who were not home at the time.
Pop Blend’s sincerest thoughts go out to everyone who was touched by this man’s life. It’s never easy to watch someone go in the prime of his life, in this case 42-years-old, but hopefully, some good can come out of this, even if it’s only for every survivor to reexamine their own lives and make sure those they care about most know exactly how they feel.
