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Kelly Preston's brother says her tragic death left the family gutted, calls her a warrior: 'It's heartbreaking'

'She was a light and she was a warrior and she'll always be remembered for how she brought out the best in people,' said her brother, Chris Palzis
PUBLISHED JUL 16, 2020
John Travolta and Kelly Preston (Getty Images)
John Travolta and Kelly Preston (Getty Images)

Kelly Preston will "always be remembered for how she brought out the best in people," her heartbroken brother, Chris Palzis, said. Loved ones of the 'Jerry Maguire' star accompanied husband John Travolta by her bedside on Sunday in Florida as she passed away from breast cancer at 57, said reports.

Kelly's younger brother, Chris, 51, told the Daily Mail how the family had been left "gutted" by her demise. "We're still really grieving so I don't have anything eloquent to say right now," the LA-based realtor said. "We're just all very gutted over this, if I had to say something that would pretty much summarize it."

"She was a light and she was a warrior and she'll always be remembered for how she brought out the best in people," Chris added. "It's heartbreaking. We just got back from her bedside in Florida. We were all together in Florida."

Actor John Travolta and actress Kelly Preston attend the Los Angeles premiere of the Lion's Gate film "The Punisher" at the ArcLight Cinerama Dome April 12, 2004 in Hollywood, California. (Getty Images)

According to the report, Chris was born after Kelly's mother married Peter Palzis. Kelly's biological father had passed away when she was just three.

Kelly and Chris were pictured together at a number of events, including the Skyla boutique opening in Westwood in July 2005. 

Spanky Taylor, who worked alongside John Travolta in the Church of Scientology, also paid tribute to Kelly, whom she reportedly met in the late 1980s.

"Kelly was a very kind woman, she was lovely. She was engaged to Charlie Sheen at that time, I don't think that she had met John yet," the 67-year-old told Daily Mail.

"I had been doing a charity event for a pediatric AIDS project. We put together an evening with Elton John and Charlie Sheen was one of the hosts of the event," she continued. "Kelly was just lovely. She was extraordinarily beautiful and she seemed as lovely on the inside as she was on the outside. She was bright and bubbly and she was very kind."

"It's heartbreaking, especially because John is so good," Taylor added. "He's such a good person and I hate seeing anyone going through that kind of suffering, let alone someone who I care about."

On Sunday, 66-year-old Travolta revealed that his wife had been battling breast cancer for at least two years.

Kelly Preston and John Travolta attend the New York premiere of Gotti starring John Travolta, in theaters June 15, 2018 on June 14, 2018. (Getty Images)

Speaking to People, a spokesman for the Travolta family said Kelly chose "keep her fight private [and] had been undergoing medical treatment for some time," adding that she was "supported by her closest family and friends" in the months leading up to her death.

"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 spokesman concluded.

Meanwhile, Travolta also paid tribute to the medical staff at MD Anderson Cancer Center who took care of Preston throughout the ordeal.

“My family and I will be forever grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side,” he shared.

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