For John Travolta, being a father is the greatest “privilege” in life.
The actor is the father of three children with his late wife, actress Kelly Preston. Preston died in 2020 after a two-year battle with breast cancer. She was 57 years old.
The couple welcomed their first child, son Jett, in April 1992. John was immediately smitten, telling PEOPLE of his newfound love for his father. After he was born and cleaned up, I held him for hours while Kelly slept, he said at the time.
A few years later, John and Kelly welcomed their second child, daughter Ella Bleu, in April 2000. While Jett was born in the hospital, the actress gave birth to Ella at their home in Los Angeles, which Kelly previously described as an “incredibly beautiful” experience. .
In January 2009, the Travoltas experienced tragedy when their eldest son, Jett, died at the age of 16 while on vacation with his family. John often paid tribute to his late son, honoring his life with candid photos and sweet messages in the years that followed.
John and Kelly welcomed their third child, son Benjamin, in 2010. “He gave the house renewed spirit and purpose,” Saturday night fever star told PEOPLE about their little “miracle” when he was born.
Here’s everything there is to know about John’s three children.
John Travolta now on his children’s lives: Ella is ‘generous and beautiful’ and Ben likes fishing and tennis
Jett
Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
John and Kelly welcomed their first child, son Jett, on April 13, 1992. Shortly after he was born, the actor told PEOPLE how much he loves fatherhood. “I can’t imagine what life would be like without Jett,” he said in 1994.
He added: “After he was born and cleaned up, I held him for hours while Kelly slept. When they came to take him for various tests, I said, ‘No, you can’t see him today. You’ll have to do that another day.’ I went a little crazy.”
Sadly, Jett died in January 2009 while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas. The then 16-year-old hit his head on the bathtub after suffering a seizure at the family’s vacation home at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island.
John Travolta pays tribute to late son Jett on his birthday: ‘I think about you every day’
Rogers and Cowan/Getty
John and his wife rarely spoke publicly about Jett, but Kelly opened up in an interview after his death. “[Jett] was autistic. He had seizures and when he was very young, he had Kawasaki syndrome,” she said during the episode Doctors in November 2012
John recently paid tribute to Jett with a throwback pic on what would have been his 30th birthday. “My dearest Jetty, I miss you more than words can say. I think of you every day. Happy birthday. Love, your dad,” he wrote in the caption.
Meet Crystal! John Travolta shares an adorable photo of son Ben’s new cat
Ella Bleu, 23
John Travolta/Instagram
John and Kelly welcomed their second child together, daughter Ella Bleu, on April 3, 2000. Like her parents, Ella has a speech impediment. Over the years, John has beamed at his daughter’s success and boasted that he is a “very proud dad”.
Before starring in her own films, Ella played several roles in her father’s films, such as the 2009 film Old dogs and in 2019 A poisonous rose. In 2021, she captured her first lead Get losta modern retelling of the classic Alice in Wonderland Story.
Not only is she an actress in her own right, but she has also pursued a music career. Ella released her first single “Dizzy” in January and shared a sweet video featuring her supportive dad to celebrate the occasion.
John Travolta’s daughter Ella Bleu (19) enters the family business: He is the ‘best mentor’
Ella and John Travolta.
“She’s her own person. She’s graceful, generous, poised, graceful and beautiful. I don’t know how she got to be and I don’t give her any credit except I just adore her,” John told PEOPLE of Ella in 2019. “And maybe she it’s a valid contribution.”
Most recently, Ella continued to cement her title as the multi-hyphenate wearer after making her debut at New York Fashion Week. John praised his daughter after she walked in Karl Lagerfeld’s fashion show for their Cara Loves Karl capsule collection in September.
John has often praised his daughter’s efforts, but it was Ella’s turn to celebrate her famous father when she marked his 69th birthday.
“Yesterday marked my hero’s birthday,” Ella wrote in the February 19, 2023 post, which included a photo of the father-daughter duo posing together. “The most amazing father, friend and role model anyone could wish for. I love you, Dad❤️❤️❤️.”
The Fat alum replied: “I love you too my dearest Ella. More than you know.”
In her free time, Ella enjoys baking. She recreated the coconut cake that Tom Cruise gives his friends for the holidays – and it was a big hit with her dad.
“It’s delicious, oh my god,” John said in an Instagram video.
John Travolta named daughter Ella, 22, ‘Something of Beauty’ in a sweet tribute on Instagram
Benjamin, 13
John Travolta and son Ben. John Travolta/Instagram
John and Kelly welcomed their third child, son Benjamin, on November 23, 2010. Unlike his sister and parents, Ben has shown no interest in acting or music—in fact, he possesses his own unique talent.
The youngest Travolta is engaged in parkour, an impressive hobby that the pre-teen recently took up. In April, John shared his son’s new hobby on Instagram with a video showing off his skills in an indoor adventure gym.
In the clip, Ben jumped between a series of objects using monkey bars to swing them over them. At one point in the video, he did a quick tap on the wall before moving to another platform. John has been constantly posting his support for Ben and expressed that he is “so proud”.
John Travolta congratulates his ‘beautiful’ son Ben on his 11th birthday: ‘Your dad loves you’
John Travolta/instagram
John and Ben share a very close bond. In August, Saturday night fever the actor opened up about the emotional conversation he and his son had after Preston’s death when Ben revealed he feared losing his father as well.
“I said, ‘But you know, Ben … you always like the truth and I’m going to tell you the truth about life. Nobody knows when it’s going to go or when it’s going to stay,'” John recalled telling his son.
He continued, “Your brother [Jett] left at 16. Too young. Your mother left at 57. That was too young. But who can say? I could die tomorrow. You could. Anyone can,” he said. “So let’s look at it like it’s part of life. You don’t know exactly. You just try to live as long as you can.”
John Travolta/Instagram
In July 2023, John shared a snapshot of a family trip to Japan on Instagram. In the video, John and his son are seen flying a helicopter, walking together in the forest and even feeding monkeys.
Later that year, John, Ben and Ella spent Christmas on the ski slopes.
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Source: HIS Education