John Travolta reacts to the death of Susan Buckner, one of his co-stars in Grease

In Grease, she played Patty Simcox, the friend with black and white butterfly glasses of Sandy Olsson (played by Olivia Newton-John). Susan Duckner died on Thursday May 2 at the age of 72. A spokesperson for his family told the magazine People, that the actress had passed away “peacefully”, “surrounded by her loved ones”. On Instagram, John Travolta, who played Danny Zucko, one of the two main characters in the hit musical, released in 1978, paid tribute to him. The actor published a montage of two photos of the actress in the story of his account. One taken during the filming of Grease and the other less ancient. “Susan you made Grease so special! We will miss you,” he added to the images.

Patty with butterfly glasses

Susan Duckner remained famous for her portrayal of Patty Simcox in Grease. We remember her very enthusiastic arrival at the Pink Ladies table, and her butterfly glasses. It is to her that Sandy begins to tell about his meeting with the famous Danny Zuko. She is also the one who performs the cartwheel in her big blue petticoat before starting a wild dance at the ball.

Before getting into acting, Susan Buckner competed in beauty pageants. She notably won the title of Miss Washington in 1971 and represented her native state in the Miss America pageant the following year. After his appearance in Grease, the actress did not have a remarkable career in cinema. She later directed children’s plays at a Florida elementary school and was a dance instructor at a Coral Gables gym.

In an interview with the magazine Peopleon the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of Grease, Susan Buckner shared some anecdotes from behind the scenes of the film. “We were so bad,” she said. Almost everyone arrived two or three hours late. They had to bring us all in and lecture us.”