What Did John Travolta Just Say About Kelly Preston?

Kelly Preston, the long-time wife of John Travolta, died from cancer in 2020 at 57 years old. The couple had three children together, Ella Travolta, Benjamin Travolta, and Jett Travolta, their eldest who died in 2009, per Hollywood Life. After Preston's death, Travolta's youngest child, Benjamin, became concerned about loss in general.

"Because mom passed away I'm afraid you're going to," the "Pulp Fiction" actor recalled his then-10-year-old son saying while appearing on Kevin Hart's "Hart to Heart" series in August (via The Hollywood Reporter). "I said, 'Well it's a very different thing.' And then I went through the differences about my longevity ..." As the only surviving parent of his children, Travolta took it upon himself to use this conversation with his son as a teaching moment. "So let's look at life, that [death is] part of life," he told his youngest. "You see, you don't know exactly. You just do your best at trying to live the longest you can," Travolta recalled saying. Aw.

The "Saturday Night Fever" star has a close relationship with his children. His daughter, Ella, has followed in her father's footsteps, soon appearing as the title character in "Get Lost" a live-action reimagining of "Alice in Wonderland," per Deadline. And recently, she shared a touching tribute to her dad on Instagram where she called him her "hero." Days later, Travolta shared a post of his own that tugged at the heartstrings of fans.

John Travolta's touching birthday tribute

In memory of Kelly Preston's birthday on October 13, John Travolta posted a throwback photo of his wife to his Instagram page. The actor uploaded a stunning image of Preston on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, per E! News, where she smiled brightly while waving to the fans and photographers on hand. "Happy Birthday Kelly. We miss and love you very much," he wrote in the short, but moving caption.

Fans flooded the comment section with kind words for both Travolta and Preston. "Happy birthday! For sure she is receiving all your love," one Instagram user wrote. "So beautiful ... gone way [too] soon," another added. "[She's] celebrating w angels," another follower replied.

A year earlier, Travolta crafted another thoughtful Instagram post in honor of his wife's birthday. He uploaded a side-by-side snap that featured a black-and-white photo from his parents' wedding beside a photo of his and Preston's wedding day. "Happy Birthday hon! I found this photo of my mom and dad's wedding. It was nice to see ours alongside theirs," the actor wrote in the caption. Weeks earlier, in August 2020, Travolta uploaded a video to Instagram that featured footage of him dancing with his daughter, Ella Travolta. This was also an ode to his late wife. "My daughter @ella.travolta and I dancing in memory of momma. One of Kelly's favorite things, dancing with me," the "Grease" star wrote in the caption. He's clearly a family man.