“Happy birthday to the man who was always there for me and always brought light and beauty to this world. I love you from here to the moon and back” – wrote 23-year-old Ella, daughter of Travolta and Kelly Preston. She attached a photo of herself with her father to the post.
A year ago, Ella also posted wishes for… Travolta. Then she named him “the most extraordinary father, friend and role model”.
Jamie Lee Curtis also celebrated the actor’s birthday. Oscar winner for “Everything everywhere at once”who starred with Travolta in the film “Be perfect” from 1985, she wrote on her Instagram account: “We have been friends and colleagues for a long time. We share a passion for our art, our children and rescuing puppies”.
Curtis attached several photos with the actor to her message. Some of them came from the promotion period “Be perfect”. Others were taken recently.
Travolta has suffered several personal tragedies in recent years. On January 2, 2009, his son Jett died from hitting his head on the edge of the bathtub during an epileptic attack. The boy was only 16 years old. His parents found him unconscious in the bathroom of a mansion in the Bahamas, where he and his family were celebrating the new year. In 2003, Preston revealed that her son suffered from Kawasaki disease. In turn, after his death, Travolta announced that his son had been diagnosed with asthma and autism.
For years, both of them had to face accusations that they contributed to the death of their child. Many people believe that the tragedy could have been avoided if the boy had taken medications that would have helped control his attacks, but these are prohibited by the Church of Scientology. However, his parents maintained that his death was an accident. “My dearest Jetty, I miss you more than words can express. I think about you everyday. (…) I love you, your Dad” – the actor wrote on his Instagram account in 2022 on the anniversary of his son’s birth.
Another tragedy befell Travolta in 2020. On July 12, Preston lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. After the death of his beloved, the actor avoided the media for almost a year. “The most important thing you can do to help others who are grieving is to let them grieve and not complicate it. This is my experience (…) Imagine that you lose someone and you are very sad at the funeral, and another person comes to you who feels even sadder and leaves no room for you to feel your grief. You become two ships going down together” – he confessed in an interview for Esquire Spain.
He added that he felt “soaked in pain.” His children proved to be his support – Ella Bleu, born in 2000, and his son Benjamin, born in 2010.