Olivia Newton-John’s heartbreaking belief: Her former boyfriend, Patrick McDermott, was either killed or drowned after he vanished without a trace in June 2005, a new biography claims. The mysterious disappearance of McDermott, a cameraman, has haunted the Grease star for years, and now, the truth behind his vanishing is finally being laid bare.
McDermott, 48, went missing after taking an overnight fishing trip near San Pedro, Los Angeles. The fishing boat he was on, the Freedom, became the epicenter of one of Hollywood’s most perplexing mysteries. Despite widespread speculation and bizarre theories, Olivia always held to one heartbreaking belief. According to close friends, including her longtime collaborator Liona Boyd, Olivia never subscribed to the sensational rumors. “She thought he’d been killed, thought he drowned,” Boyd revealed in **Matthew Hild’s book, A Little More Love: The Life and Legacy of Olivia Newton-John.”
A Relationship Marked by Mystery
Newton-John and McDermott had an on-again, off-again relationship that began after her divorce from actor Matt Lattanzi in 1995. However, by the time McDermott disappeared, the couple had already separated. Despite this, Olivia was still deeply affected by his loss. She described their relationship as “complicated,” and after his disappearance, speculation ran rampant. Theories about whether McDermott staged his own disappearance, or if foul play was involved, swirled for years.
Australian journalist Louise Pennell noted in 2005, “Whether he had financial difficulties and staged his disappearance, whether it was a murder or an abduction, no one seems to know.” McDermott, it was revealed, had been struggling with alimony troubles following his divorce from actress Yvette Nipar, and sources say he had confided his financial struggles to the crew on the boat.
Sighting Theories and the Search for Answers
Following his disappearance, numerous unconfirmed sightings of McDermott in Mexico emerged, including reports from private investigators. In 2016, John Nazarian, a private investigator, claimed he had spoken with locals who suggested McDermott was seen with a woman with a German accent. But these leads were never substantiated.
Olivia, desperate for answers, even enlisted security expert Gavin de Becker to send private investigators to Mexico. Unfortunately, their search turned up nothing, leaving Olivia with more questions than answers. In the end, the U.S. Coast Guard concluded McDermott had likely drowned and was lost at sea, officially closing its investigation in 2008.
A Loss That Would Never Fade
Despite the ambiguity surrounding McDermott’s fate, Olivia never truly found peace with his disappearance. In a 2009 interview, she admitted, “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 with 60 Minutes, she expressed her grief once more: “He was lost at sea… nobody really knows what happened.”
But even with the unanswered questions, Olivia tried to move forward with her life. She married John Easterling in 2008, and the two remained together until her death in 2022, after she courageously battled breast cancer.
Through it all, the memory of Patrick McDermott stayed with her, lingering like an unresolved chapter in her life, but Olivia’s strength and ability to move forward is a testament to her enduring legacy.
