Instagram John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Benjamin Travolta, Ella Travolta and Jett Travolta.
Kelly Preston, the wife of actor John Travolta, died on July 12 after battling breast cancer for two years. Travolta shared the news of his wife’s passing on Sunday night, writing: “It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many.”
In the tribute to Preston, Travolta also wrote: “I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don’t hear from us for a while. But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal.”
Preston and Travolta, who married in 1991, had three children together: 20-year-old Ella, 8-year-old Benjamin, and Jett, who died at the age of 16 in 2009.
Here’s what you need to know about Preston and Travolta’s children:
1. Jett Travolta Died at 16 After Suffering a Seizure in the Bahamas
Preston and Travolta’s first child, Jett Travolta, was born on April 13, 1992, and died on January 2, 2009, after suffering a seizure. At the time of Jett’s death, the family was on vacation in the Bahamas. Preston and Travolta owned a vacation home on the island.
According to The Mirror, Jett had a history of seizures since the age of two. Jett was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease as a child and was also on the autism spectrum.
On the day Jett would have turned 28, April 13, 2020, Travolta shared a picture of himself with his late son. Travolta wrote, “Happy Birthday Jetty! We love you!”
2. Travolta Accused 2 People of Attempting to Extort $25 Million After Jett’s Death
After Jett’s death, Travolta accused Tarino Lightbourne, a medic who responded to Jett’s seizure in the Bahamas, and Bahamian Senator Pleasant Bridgewater of trying to extort $25 million. According to ABC News, Travolta claimed that he was being blackmailed by the medic. According to Travolta, if he didn’t pay the $25 million, Lightbourne would have claimed publicly that Travolta was at fault in Jett’s death.
The outlet reported that the judge declared a mistrial after suspecting juror misconduct. The charges were then dismissed due to the Travolta family not wanting to go through a new trial. Prosecutor Neil Braithwaite told the court, “The Travolta family has said that this matter has caused them unbelievable stress and pain and they wish to put this whole thing behind them.”
As per the outlet’s report, Travolta wrote in a statement:
The long-pending status of this matter continued to take a heavy emotional toll on my family, causing us to conclude that it was finally time to put this matter behind us. Therefore, after much reflection I concluded that it was in my family’s best interest for me not to voluntarily return to The Bahamas to testify a second time at trial.
3. Preston & Travolta’s Daughter, Ella Bleu Travolta, Is 20 Years Old
Born on April 3, 2000, Ella Bleu Travolta is Travolta and Preston’s only daughter. She works as an actress and is known for her roles as Emily in Old Dogs and Becky Hunt in The Poison Rose, according to IMDb.
On Mother’s Day, Ella shared a picture of her and Preston when Ella was a child. She wrote a tribute to her mother, saying: “Happy Mother’s Day to this incredible woman. Beautiful inside and out, hard working and the most amazing mother and wife. I love you so much!!! wishing a happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there.”
4. Ella Posted a Tribute to Preston After Her Death
On Sunday night, after the news of Preston’s death broke, Ella took to Instagram to share a tribute for her mother. In the touching post, she thanked her mother for always being there for her and spoke about her mother’s “glow.” Ella wrote:
I have never met anyone as courageous, strong, beautiful and loving as you. Anyone who is lucky enough to have known you or to have ever been in your presence will agree that you have a glow and a light that never ceases to shine and that makes anyone around you feel instantly happy. Thank you for being there for me no matter what. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your help and thank you for making this world a better place. You have made life so beautiful and I know you will continue to do so always. I love you so much mama.
5. Preston Is Also Survived by Her Son, Benjamin Travolta
Travolta and Preston had another son, Benjamin Travolta, in 2010. Benjamin is 9 years old, and Preston posted pictures of her son frequently on social media. On November 9, 2019, Travolta shared a photo on Instagram of Benjamin wearing a pilot’s hat and sitting in the pilot’s seat of an airplane.
Travolta wrote: “My son Ben is taking my place! His first A380 @qantas flight.”
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