‘My favorite dance partner’: John Travolta pays tribute to late wife Kelly Preston' on her 60th birthday
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: John Tavolta fondly remembered his late wife, Kelly Preston, on October 13, which would have been her 60th birthday. Taking to his Instagram page, the 68-year-old actor posted an old photograph of him with Preston and wrote: “Happy birthday to my favorite dance partner! We love you and miss you Kelly.”
Preston was 57 when she died in 2020 after struggling with breast cancer for years. She and Travolta had been married for nearly three decades and became parents of three children — Jett Travolta, Ella Bleu Travolta, Benjamin Travolta. Following the actress’ death, a representative for the family said: “On the morning of July 12, 2020, Kelly Preston, adored wife and mother, passed away following a two-year battle with breast cancer.”
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The statement added, “Choosing to keep her fight private, she had been undergoing medical treatment for some time, supported by her closest family and friends. She was a bright, beautiful and loving soul who cared deeply about others and who brought life to everything she touched. Her family asks for your understanding of their need for privacy at this time.”
The ‘Saturday Night Fever’ actor’s birthday wish for his loving wife came months after he paid her tribute on Mother’s Day. Posting a short video on the social media platform that began with a black and white photo of Travolta with a message that read: “From me to you,” he noted, “We love and miss you Kelly. Happy Mother’s Day 💐❤️.”
Their daughter also posted her love for her late mother while sharing a throwback picture of her with Preston. In the caption, she wrote, “I’ve learned a lot from all of the strong and powerful women in my life, I thank you all for being such wonderful role models. I miss and love you, mama. Happy Mothers to all of the wonderful moms out there!💖”
As per reports, Preston was a loving mother, who knew from an early age that she wanted to have children. In 2011, she reportedly said, “I've always wanted to be a mother, ever since I was 11. I absolutely adore my kids. Johnny and I love them up constantly. Ella's like, 'Mom, ugh! Thank God you had Ben because now he can take some of the kisses.'”
In the same year when she became pregnant with her third child, ‘The Cat in the Hat’ star told PEOPLE, “We had tried for three years, and because of our age we thought maybe it wasn't possible for us. So when we got the news [that I was pregnant], we were completely blown away. I had no morning sickness. I didn't have a lot of cravings and tried to eat primarily organic, but threw in the occasional mini white powdered doughnut. All my pregnancies were easy, but this perhaps was the easiest.”
At the time, Preston also revealed her daughter’s reaction over the news as she added, “We both told her together right after we found out. You would have thought Ella was having Benjamin herself because of her enthusiasm about his arrival — she was elated, to say the least. When she first saw him, she fell in love.”