Featured Image Credit: @johntravolta/Instagram
Topics: Film and TV
Cameron Frew
John Travolta has shared a 'beautiful' Mother's Day tribute to his late wife Kelly Preston.
Preston - born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, Hawaii - passed away at the age of 57 in 2020 following ‘a courageous fight’ with breast cancer ‘with the love and support of so many’.
The actress was known for her roles in Jerry Maguire, Jack Frost, Sky High and, most recently prior to her death, Gotti alongside her husband, who played the titular gangster.
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Travolta shared a montage to Instagram of family photos, tuned to Barbra Streisand's 'Nice 'n' Easy', writing: "We love and miss you Kelly. Happy Mother’s Day."
The video features snaps of Travolta, Preston and their three kids: Ella Bleu, 22; Benjamin, 11; and their late son Jett, who died in 2009 at the age of 16.
It's been viewed more than 380,000 times, with thousands of comments from fellow celebs and fans alike.
Kate Ceberano commented: "Ohhh John we love and miss her too! What a ray of light! Sending you love." Sofia Milos wrote: "So beautiful."
Travolta, whom she wed in September 1991, earlier wrote that he and his family 'will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centres that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side... Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered.'
Preston starred in a number of films alongside Travolta prior to Gotti, including From Paris with Love, Old Dogs and Battlefield Earth. She also had roles in Twins alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, and Sam Raimi's For Love of the Game.
In an interview with Esquire, Travolta opened up about losing Preston, saying: "I felt so saturated with everyone's sadness that I didn't know what to do.
"The first thing you should do when you experience grief is to go to a place where you can live your mourning, without any interference. If I die tomorrow, the last thing I want to see is everyone around me sunk."
The Pulp Fiction star said he'd 'learned that crying for someone, living in mourning, is something personal' and that 'grief is individual and experiencing your own journey is what can lead to healing'.
He added: "The most important thing you can do to help someone else when they are grieving is to allow them to experience it and not complicate it with yours."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677