The Mystery of Olivia Newton-John’s Boyfriend Who Was ‘Lost at Sea’

Three years since Olivia Newton-John‘s death, questions still swirl about her former boyfriend Patrick McDermott, who was presumed dead after he disappeared on a fishing trip off the coast of California in 2005.

Newton-John died on Aug. 8, 2022, at the age of 73 after several bouts with breast cancer.

But years prior, the singer found herself the subject of media attention when her one-time boyfriend, who disappeared in 2005 and was presumed to have drowned at sea, was suspected to have faked his own vanishing act.

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A former cameraman, McDermott was on an overnight fishing trip off the coast of Los Angeles on June 30, 2005, when he disappeared. He wasn’t reported missing until more than a week later — on July 11, 2005, when his ex-wife filed the report, per NBC News.

Per an earlier CBS News report, Newton-John and McDermott had dated on-and-off for nine years prior to his disappearance and the actress and singer refused to publicly comment on his whereabouts (per CBS, Newton-John was at a spa retreat in Australia when he disappeared).

A 2008 U.S. Coast Guard investigation, CBS adds, suggested that “McDermott was lost at sea.”

But media reports since — particularly those in the Australian press — have suggested otherwise.

In fact, some investigators hired by media outlets have surmised that McDermott faked his own death and is still alive somewhere in Mexico.

Speaking to NBC News in a 2005 interview, Louise Pennell, a foreign correspondent for Seven Network Australia, alleged that McDermott was having issues with his finances prior to his disappearance.

“What we do know is that there were some problems with finances. Patrick McDermott on the fishing boat The Freedom told the crew that he had some alimony troubles with his ex-wife, who is an actress,” Pennell alleged. “As far as I know, he complained about financial troubles with her.”

According to CBS News, court documents at the time showed that McDermott had filed for bankruptcy in July 2000.

“Whether he had financial difficulties and staged his disappearance, whether it was a murder or an abduction, no one seems to know,” said Pennell.

As the mystery clouded his disappearance, however, Newton-John fell in love, marrying businessman John Easterling in 2008.

In an October 2016 interview with PEOPLE, the Grease star said they fell in love during a trip to the Amazon.

“I dated a little bit, but I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with him and then bam!” she said of falling for Easterling a few years after McDermott mysteriously went missing. The singer also said Easterling had helped her move on from the “traumatic” ordeal of reports claiming McDermott had faked his death and was living in Mexico.

But questions around McDermott flourished, with Woman’s Day Australia publishing a 2016 report claiming that McDermott was alive and living with a German girlfriend in Sayulita, Mexico.

Investigator Philip Klein told the outlet he believed McDermott slipped out of sight to escape his debts and allow his son to cash in a $100,000 life-insurance policy,

Of what actually happened to McDermott, Newton-John said, “One of the hardest things is not knowing. I’m very lucky I have a wonderful, beautiful husband who is just so loving and fantastic. I always tell my friends you’re never too old to find love.”

A 2009 U.S. Coast Guard press release put some of the speculation to rest, noting that the agency was “not actively investigating this case.”

“The Coast Guard Investigative Service closed its case Sept. 15, 2006 and did not find any evidence of criminal action, suicide, accident or hoax in the disappearance of McDermott,” the Coast Guard said in its release. “A separate marine safety investigation followed, looking into the operation of the fishing vessel itself and was closed Oct. 30, 2008. A marine safety investigation is standard in cases of loss of life in the marine environment.”

The release continued: “Both investigations suggest that McDermott was lost at sea. Anyone with new credible tips about the McDermott case can still call the CGIS tip line at 310-521-4296 and leave a message with detailed call-back information.”