American actor John Travolta shared a sweet old photo of himself with his late wife and son to mark his eldest son Jett’s 32nd birthday, which fell on the 13th. He wished his son a happy birthday, expressing that he thinks about his late son every day.
John Travolta’s eldest son, Jett, tragically passed away in early 2009 at the age of 16 due to a seizure that caused him to hit his head on the bathtub in their vacation home in Old Bahama Bay. April 13 was Jett’s birthday, and the 70-year-old Travolta shared a photo of Jett in his mother’s arms with fans.
Travolta, who was married to American actress and model Kelly Preston in 1991, had three children: Jett, daughter Ella (24 years old), and son Benjamin (13 years old). Kelly, who was diagnosed with breast cancer, passed away at the age of 57 in July 2020.
In the photo, Travolta and Kelly stand together while Jett leans on them, embracing his mother with a radiant smile. Travolta wrote: “Happy birthday, my Jett – you are with me every day!” Ella replied to the post, saying, “Happy birthday, Jett,” along with five heart emojis. A family friend, Risa Wilson, commented, “Will never forget him, and Kelly too.”
Ella later shared a childhood photo of herself with her brother (view the photo here), expressing, “Happy birthday, Jett. I will love you forever.”
According to People magazine, in August 2021, Travolta spoke about a heartfelt conversation he had with his younger son Benjamin, around ten years old at the time, about a year and a half after Kelly’s passing during comedian Kevin Hart’s show “Hart to Heart.” One late night as they were walking near their home, Benjamin told his father that he was afraid of losing him, too. Travolta recounted the conversation, saying, “He said to me once, ‘Because mom passed away, I’m afraid you’re going to’.”
“I said, ‘Well, it’s completely different.’ I talked about my longevity compared to her limited time and I said, ‘You know, Benjamin… you like the truth, I’m going to tell you the truth about life. No one knows when they’re going to go, or when they’re going to stay’.”
Travolta told his son that death is a part of life, referencing the early loss of Jett at 16 and Kelly at 57, emphasizing that nobody knows when their time will come. He encouraged Benjamin to see death as a part of life and to strive to live longer.
John Travolta rose to fame for his roles in the movie “Saturday Night Fever” before receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role in “Pulp Fiction.” He won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his performance in “Get Shorty” (1995). Kelly Preston starred in films like “Twins” and “Jerry Maguire” and acted alongside Travolta in “Battlefield Earth.”
Editor: Jasmine