Olivia Newton-John’s Widower Opens Up About Letting Go of Their Calif. Ranch: ‘It Was Our Place’ (Exclusive)

John Easterling is reflecting on his decision to sell the California ranch he shared with his late wife Olivia Newton-John.

The naturopathic entrepreneur tells PEOPLE he “couldn’t even think about” parting with the property for the first year after he lost the Grease star to breast cancer in August 2022. 

However, Easterling explains that after her death he found himself traveling a lot, and has been spending time in Peru, Florida and Australia.

“I think I was recognizing that I’m not here very much, and it was just time to let somebody else really enjoy this place,” he says. “I mean, we had such a lovely time here, but it was our place and now I’m recognizing it’s time to let somebody else enjoy that peace and serenity and beauty of what this place is.” 

“It’d be such a great place for somebody with a couple of little kids to run around and have fun,” he adds.

In June 2024, he listed the 12-acre Santa Ynez estate for sale for $8.9 million. 

“It’s a beautiful place,” he says. “I’m standing here now just soaking in the wonder of it, but it’s just very different now that it’s just me. People who are in a similar circumstance, I know would understand.”

Easterling adds that he feels a “very strong presence” from his late wife.

The home, which encompasses 4,450 square feet, features four bedrooms, four full bathrooms, a two-bedroom guest house, outdoor kitchen, pool, and a four-car garage. Other amenities include a barn, stable, arena and pastures.

A new video (seen above) shared by Carey Kendall of Village Properties, who holds the listing, shows some of the property’s highlights along with sweeping views of the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County.

The video notes that the home offered the couple “the utmost privacy,” adding that they created “a spiritual oasis for themselves.”

Kendall previously told PEOPLE, “John and Olivia recognized that uniqueness when they purchased the property many years ago; and they looked extensively before deciding this was the magic place for them!”

He added, “The feel of expanse is great, the running water in front of the ranch is amazing and the exquisite detail of the architecture sets the home apart!”

Newton-John and Easterling met in the mid-2000s while working with an environmental nonprofit, and married in June 2008.

They celebrated their nuptials with two ceremonies, one of which was an Incan spiritual ceremony held on a mountaintop in Peru. The other was an intimate gathering in Florida with friends and family.

Easterling told PEOPLE in June that besides the items that he and Newton-John’s daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, were keeping, many of the Grammy winner’s personal belongings would be sold at a Julien’s Auctions later this year.

He continued, “Part of the proceeds from this auction will go to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund where we’re making historical progress with the research on plant medicine and cancer. This was Olivia’s dream and I promised her I would follow this through.”