Tragic Details About John Travolta's Youngest Son Ben

John Travolta's youngest son Ben Travolta has faced a great deal of tragedy in his young life. Although the teen — who turns 15 years old in November 2025 — lives a pretty low-key life in spite of his father's international fame and legions of fans, he's faced private challenges beyond his years. Ben's first brush with tragedy happened before he was born when his older brother Jett Travolta suddenly died. Jett passed away in January 2009 during a Travolta family vacation in the Bahamas. At the time, it was reported that he suffered from a seizure and head injury from hitting his head in a bathtub. Because of Jett Travolta's tragic death, his little brother Ben never got to meet him and has been forced to forever rely on his family's recollections of him.

Of course, Jett's death rocked the entire family, as John and his wife Kelly Preston became celebrities who lost their child way too young. In February 2014, John revealed that the death of his oldest child was, understandably, the "worst" thing he'd ever experienced (via BBC News). "The truth is, I didn't know if I was going to make it," he continued, adding, "Life was no longer interesting to me, so it took a lot to get me better." However, the birth of Ben, which occurred on November 23, 2010, helped give their little family something positive to hold onto. "For us, it's been uplifting," John shared about Ben's birth with Woman's Day in 2011. "He's given the house a renewed spirit and purpose. He's brought us a new beginning and his presence has brought joy to all the people who have wanted the best for us." Unfortunately, the Travolta family — including Ben and his sister, Ella Bleu Travolta — would go on to experience more tragedy a few years later.

At a terribly young age, Ben Travolta endured one of the worst things a person can ever face. He lost his mother Kelly Preston — who was married to his father John Travolta for the better part of three decades — to cancer at the tender age of nine years old. In July 2020, Kelly Preston died at the age of 57 because of breast cancer. "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," John shared in a statement (via The Guardian). "She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many." Unsurprisingly, Preston's untimely passing greatly impacted her youngest son Ben who would later develop an understandable fear.

In August 2021, John opened up to Kevin Hart about the fear that Ben developed over his and his family's mortality. "(Ben) said to me once, 'Because mom passed away, I'm afraid you're going to,'" the star recalled during an episode of "Hart to Hart" (via USA Today). "I said, 'Well, it's a very different thing.' And I went through the differences about my longevity and her limited life." Despite discussing the difficult subject matter with his young, impressionable son, John was adamant about telling Ben the "truth about life." He said, "Your brother (Jett) left at 16. Too young. Your mother left at 57. That was too young. But who's to say? I could die tomorrow. You could. Anybody can." He concluded the conversation with telling him that the only thing they could do was try to live as long as they could.