What Olivia Newton-John really believed happened to her lost lover who vanished at sea in 2005 before claims he was spotted alive in Mexico

Olivia Newton-John believed her former boyfriend Patrick McDermott was either 'killed' or 'drowned' after he vanished off the coast of Los Angeles 21 years ago, a new biography has revealed.

The late singer's thoughts are detailed in the new book A Little More Love: The Life and Legacy of Olivia Newton-John by Matthew Hild, which explores the mysterious 2005 disappearance of the cameraman.

McDermott was 48 years old when he vanished in June 2005 after he took an overnight fishing trip off the coast of LA - he has not been seen since.

According to those close to the Grease star, she never bought into the more sensational theories that emerged in the aftermath of McDermott's disappearance.

'She thought he'd been killed, thought he drowned,' Newton-John's friend and collaborator Liona Boyd told Hild.

Boyd added that the singer did not put any stock into the rumour that McDermott had faked his death: 'She didn't believe all the rumours about the sightings in Mexico. She said, "No, I don't believe that".'

Newton-John and McDermott began dating following her 1995 divorce from actor Matt Lattanzi. 

In her 2018 memoir, she described their relationship as 'on-again, off-again' and confirmed they were not together at the time he vanished during an overnight fishing trip.

What followed was years of speculation about what really happened to the 48-year-old, ranging from theories he staged his own disappearance to suggestions of foul play or abduction.

'Whether he had financial difficulties and staged his disappearance, whether it was a murder or an abduction, no one seems to know,' Australian journalist Louise Pennell told NBC News in 2005.

'What we do know is there were some problems with finances. Patrick McDermott, on the fishing boat, told the crew he had some alimony troubles with his ex-wife,' she added. 'As far as I know, he complained about financial troubles,' she said.

McDermott had divorced actress Yvette Nipar in 1993, with whom he shared a son, Chance.

The boat from which he disappeared, the Freedom, became central to the enduring mystery.

Investigators later claimed they had possible sightings, including private investigator John Nazarian, who said in 2016: 'I spoke to people there. The girl he was travelling with was described as having a German accent.'

However, those leads never resulted in confirmation.

According to Hild's book, Newton-John later engaged security expert Gavin de Becker, who dispatched private investigators to Mexico in an attempt to locate McDermott – but the search was fruitless.

The US Coast Guard ultimately concluded McDermott was likely 'lost at sea', closing its investigation in 2008.

Newton-John spoke publicly about the uncertainty a year later.

'I think there will always be a question mark... I don't think I will ever really be at peace with it,' she told Women's Weekly in 2009.

In a later interview with 60 Minutes in 2016, she reflected again on the unresolved loss.

'He was lost at sea... nobody really knows what happened,' she said.

'It's human to wonder. But you know, those are the things in life you have to accept and let go. Because whenever you go through difficult times, there are always those concerns,' she said.

Despite the lingering mystery, Newton-John eventually moved forward with her life, marrying businessman John Easterling in 2008.

The pair remained together until her death in August 2022 aged 73, following a long battle with breast cancer.