A new biography uncovers Olivia Newton-John’s firm convictions about the fate of her ex-boyfriend Patrick McDermott, who vanished off the Los Angeles coast 21 years ago amid persistent theories.
Newton-John believed McDermott was either killed or drowned during his disappearance in June 2005 while on an overnight fishing trip.
Insights from the New Biography
Matthew Hild details the cameraman’s enigmatic vanishing in his forthcoming book, A Little More Love: The Life and Legacy of Olivia Newton-John, releasing Thursday.
Through interviews with Newton-John’s friends and colleagues, Hild reveals her actual thoughts on the matter.
Liona Boyd, a close friend and collaborator, shared, “She thought he’d been killed.” Boyd continued, “She thought he drowned.”
Boyd noted Newton-John rejected rumors of McDermott sightings in Mexico, stating, “No, I don’t believe that.”
The On-Again, Off-Again Romance
Newton-John began her relationship with McDermott shortly after divorcing actor Matt Lattanzi in 1995. In her 2018 memoir, she characterized it as “on-again, off-again,” confirming they were apart when he went missing.
Enduring Rumors and Probes
Speculation swirled that the 48-year-old McDermott faked his exit to Mexico due to financial strain, including alimony issues with ex-wife actress Yvette Nipar, from whom he separated in 1993. The couple shared a son, Chance.
Louise Pennell observed, “Whether he had financial difficulties and staged his disappearance, whether it was a murder or an abduction, no one seems to know.” She added that McDermott had voiced alimony complaints to the fishing boat crew.
Investigator John Nazarian asserted in 2016 that he located McDermott in Mexico with a woman sporting a German accent, based on local contacts.
Newton-John enlisted security expert Gavin de Becker, whose team of private investigators searched Mexico but returned empty-handed.
The U.S. Coast Guard ruled McDermott likely lost at sea after probes wrapped in 2008.
Newton-John’s Personal Reflections
Addressing the mystery publicly in 2009, Newton-John said, “I think there will always be a question mark … I don’t think I will ever really be at peace with it.”
In a 2016 interview, she elaborated, “He was lost at sea, and nobody really knows what happened. It’s human to wonder. But you know, those are the things in life you have to accept and let go.”
Newton-John progressed, wedding businessman John Easterling in 2008. The pair stayed married until her passing in August 2022 at age 73, following three decades combating breast cancer.
