Love And Loss: How The Star of Grease Met And Overcame The Barriers In His Life
Actor John Travolta first stepped into the limelight in the early 1970s. Just a few years after beginning his career, he had become a household name and a very successful actor. Although this all didn't come without some serious hard work, he went from a stage actor to one of the biggest actors in Hollywood.
While the actor has had countless ups and downs throughout his career, he never shies away from discussing his personal life with the public. Travolta has opened up about his life and loves, as you will soon find out.
He Dropped Out Of High School And Moved To NYC
Before John Travolta became the movie star that we know him as today, he spent the majority of his childhood in New Jersey, where he grew up. He lived with his five older siblings and two parents, who were both famous in their own right at one point.
However, after Travolta dropped out of high school, he decided that it was time to move away from New Jersey to find more opportunities in New York.
Finding His Way In The Acting World
While living in New York, John Travolta luckily managed to score a role in the stage musical Grease. Little did he know that he would eventually star in the film adaptation, one of the most notable performances of his career.
However, before making it big with Grease, Travolta made a name for himself acting in the 1965 comedy show Welcome Back, Kotter. This would help get his foot in the door for future roles.
His Career Was Heating Up
Then, in the following years, Travolta's career continued to be on the rise, earning him yet another one of his most notable roles in the film The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. His career wasn't the only thing heating up either, as his love life was too.
During shooting for The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, Travolta met a young girl named Diana Hyland, and the two began dating. It was the beginning of a loving relationship.
A Love Lost
Although there was almost a 20-year age gap between the two, it didn't appear to have an effect on their relationship and the two appeared happy. Unfortunately, just seven months into the couple's relationship, disaster struck.
In 1977, Hyland's health took a turn for the worst and she passed away that same year. Unsurprisingly, Travolta took her death extremely hard and it took him a long time to recover from losing her.
He Suffered From His Loss
According to the press, after Hyland's death, Travolta went into hiding and became a bit of a recluse. In addition, in the following years, Travolta's films would also begin to suffer, hurting his reputation and professionalism as an actor.
Luckily for Travolta, his luck began to turn after he starred in the hit romantic comedy Look Who's Talking. Things continued to look up with Travolta meeting his future wife Kelly Preston that same year.
Learning To Love Again
John Travolta and Kelly Preston first met each other on the set of The Experts, and it didn't take long for a relationship to blossom. Just two years after meeting the two were married, although their marriage had its own set of problems.
The couple was married in Paris on September 5, 1991, however, because their marriage was carried out by a Scientologist minister, it was deemed invalid. So, the couple had a second marriage a week later, and this time it was considered official.
Preston Had Interesting Past Relationships
Kelly Preston's life before marrying Travolta wasn't all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows either. The actress had been married before, but Preston and her then-husband Kevin Gage ended up getting divorced in 1987. Then, shortly after her divorce with Gage, she became engaged to the Hollywood bad boy Charlie Sheen.
The couple split up in 1990, after Sheen accidentally shot her in the arm. It seemed she was destined to be with someone else anyway.
A Long Marriage
Travolta and Preston appeared to have quite a happy life together and were married for almost 30 years. The couple shared three beloved children.
Just a year after the two were married, Preston and Travolta welcomed their first son Jett into the world. Jett was then followed by Ella Bleu in 2000 and Benjamin in 2010. It seemed at this point like everything was looking up for the Travolta clan.
The Unexpected Happened
But then, the unexpected happened. Not long after Jett was born, Travolta and Preston's first son was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. The disease causes inflammation of blood vessels, which can be fatal in some extreme cases.
To make the situation even harder on the family, Jett also had autism and suffered from seizures, something that the family always had to keep an eye on. His conditions made the family only love him even more.
They Didn't Let Their Son's Condition Get In Their Way
Although their son Jett was experiencing severe medical issues, the couple didn't let it impact the quality of their entire family's life. Jett was encouraged by his parents to pursue and participate in the things he loved such as the outdoors.
The Travoltas were also known to go on many vacations abroad to places such as Europe and the Bahamas. Travolta even piloted the planes himself in order to ensure the safety of his loved ones as well as give them some privacy.
Tragedy Struck The Travoltas
Unfortunately, while the Travolta family was vacationing in the Bahamas, the family suffered their greatest tragedy yet. While the family had traveled to the Bahama islands in order to ring in the New Year, it would prove to be a vacation that they would never forget.
Jett passed away on that trip, a truly devastating blow to the family who had loved Jett so much during the 16 years of his life. He truly was gone far too soon.
The Family Was Devastated
The family discovered Jett's body after he had suffered a seizure that had caused him to fall and hit his head on the edge of the bathtub. Tragically, Jett died as a result of the injuries that he sustained from his fall, devastating the Travolta family.
To honor their son, The Jett Travolta Foundation was created by his parents. It's a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children with special needs.
Adding A New Boy To The Family
In the end, the charges were dropped, although the whole situation did nothing to help the family during their grieving process. However, the birth of another son, Benjamin, a year after Jett's death seemed to help the grieving family.
The actor told Good Morning America in 2016, "Having little Benjamin has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to re-bond after a tremendous loss." Although Jett will never be forgotten, Benjamin helped the family to recover part of what they lost.
The Church Of Scientology
John Travolta and Kelly Preston also credited the Church of Scientology for helping them through the loss of his first-born son. In 2014, Travolta claimed that "I will forever be grateful to Scientology for supporting me for two years solid."
Tragically, more sadness was to come for the family. Travolta's faith was going to be put to the test in just a few short years, something he never could have imagined.
Kelly Preston, Gone Too Soon
On July 12, 2020, a Travolta family spokesperson made the stunning and devastating announcement that Kelly had passed away. She had quietly been battling breast cancer for two years and wished to keep the struggle private.
"She was a bright, beautiful and loving soul who cared deeply about others and who brought life to everything she touched," read the statement. "Her family asks for your understanding of their need for privacy at this time."
A Revelation About His Daughter
Due to Travolta's losses, it's not surprising to learn that he's incredibly protective of his surviving children. In the more recent years, he has been more open to speaking about his family, as he used to keep everything to himself following the death of his son.
Travolta went on to melt the hearts of the crowd while attending the 2017 SAG Awards. It was there that he made a heartwarming revelation about his daughter.
Following In Her Father's Footsteps
At the event, Travolta wouldn't stop talking about Ella Bleu gushing on and on about how fabulous his daughter is. Travolta went on to express how he would love if Ella followed in her father's footsteps and become a successful actor as well.
Luckily for Travolta, at this moment, it appears that Ella has indeed inherited her father's love and skill for acting. John Travolta may end up getting his wish and Ella Bleu showing a promising career in acting.
She's Already Started Acting
She's already on the right path for becoming an actress as well. Ella Bleu has already had some experience, appearing on the big screen next to her father in the 2009 film Old Dogs.
At the event, Travolta continued to rave about his daughter's skills, say that "She's such a good performer and I want to see her pursue acting." If we're lucky, we may see Ella Bleu in more films in the upcoming years, either with or without her father.
Travolta Doesn't Want His Kids Going Anywhere
While Travolta may want his daughter to continue with her acting career, he's also happy just being a devoted and protective father at the moment. To see how protective he is, in an interview on Ellen, Travolta confessed that "I never want my children to leave the house, ever."
And we can't blame him, considering all of the loss that he has suffered through in his life, we wouldn't want our children to leave the house either.
He Wanted To Name His Daughter "Qantas"
As we've already discussed, John Travolta is a highly skilled pilot, who owns numerous airplanes himself. One of his personal favorites is a Boeing 707, made just like one of the Australian-based Qantas Airline planes, which he is an ambassador for and has flown for.
He also admitted that he initially wanted to name his daughter "Qantas." While we understand that he has a passion for flying, it might be for the better that he didn't name his only daughter after an Australian airline. We have a feeling she wouldn't have been too thrilled.
Kelly Preston Was 47 When She Became Pregnant With Benjamin
Kelly Preston was 47-years-old when she became pregnant with their son Benjamin, just months after losing their son Jett in 2009. While most women in their late 40s require some medical attention in order to conceive, the couple did not comment on speculations circulating about them using in vitro fertilization.
While people were still doubting that the couple was able to conceive without help, the birth of their son Benjamin proved beneficial in helping them with their grief.
Travolta's Kids Practice Scientology
John Travolta and his wife began practicing Scientology since the 1970s and their children are members of the church as well. As the par were two of the church's most prized members, it's no surprise that their children would follow in their parents' footsteps in regards to religion.
This helps to explain how the Travolta kids tend to shy away from the limelight, as they are busy following the practices and the traditions of the Church of Scientology.
Benjamin May Not Be Cut Out For Stardom
John Travolta and Kelly Preston's son Benjamin made his first on-air appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Before bringing his son on stage, Travolta was telling Letterman how much he wants to work with him once he grows up.
However, as soon as Kelly carried him from backstage onto the set, Ben quickly became anxious and ran away, showing some obvious signs of being camera shy. It appears that maybe Travolta shouldn't get his hopes up working for his son anytime soon.
The Travolta Kids Are Very Well Behaved
Although most regular teenagers have been known to be unruly, those with famous parents have the capacity to be even worse. However, that's not the case with the Travolta kids. Ella, in particular, always appears to be put together and presents herself very maturely while in public or in front of the cameras.
While many people are wondering how she has kept her life so private others assume that it's her association with the Church of Scientology that has made her so tame.
Travolta And His Kids Look Incredibly Similar
While it's not shocking that someone's kids may look like their parents, when it comes to Travolta and his children, the similarities are uncanny. It's clear from the pictures of the kids that they take after their father, in particular, Ella.
Kelly Preston once told reporters that as Benjamin grows older, he looked more and more like his father every day. While the kids may not have inherited much of Kelly's genes in appearance, it's clear that they might have inherited her calm mannerisms.
There Is A Foundation Named After Jett
After the death of their son, the Travolta family announced that they were establishing the Jett Travolta Foundation. The foundation was put in place to help provide relief to kids with hearing, communication, and any other health, medical or educational issues.
They also provide the resources in order to properly educate the public to become more aware of these issues. So far, the foundation has donated over $55,000 to various charities. Even though their son suffered from autism and Kawasaki disease, no donation has been made towards fighting autism or Kawasaki organizations.
Tom Cruise And John Travolta Don't Like Each Other
While many people may think that Tom Cruise and John Travolta may be good buddies, that's not necessarily the case. Although the two are both Scientologists, they are at odds with each other and have been for some time.
According to Leah Remini's tell-all book Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, the two are not close and don't share the same circle of friends even though Scientologists are expected to socialize with one another. We're not sure what happened between the two but it doesn't look like it's getting any better.
Travolta Is One Of Oprah's Best Friends
Believe it or not, John Travolta and Oprah Winfrey are very close friends, and Oprah even claims that Travolta is her favorite movie star! The two have such a close bond that Travolta is always doing favors for Oprah and vice-versa.
In 2010, Oprah made a huge announcement on the first episode of the final season of her talk show. She surprised the entire audience with an eight-day all-expenses-paid trip to Australia with Travolta as the group's captain.
Travolta And Preston Were Open About Their Relationship
Surprisingly, unlike their children, Travolta and his wife were always been open when discussing their relationship with the public. Back in 1996, they even shared that their first son Jett had been conceived during a special weekend while they were staying in the home of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.
The two were also open when discussing the hardships in their marriage, even admitting that they had required the help of a Scientologist marriage counselor.
Kristie Alley And Travolta Were Almost More Than Friends
Sharing a mutual love for the religion of Scientology, it's no wonder why actress Kristie Alley and Travolta are best friends. The two got to know each other on a personal level while shooting Look Who's Talking, and have stayed close since.
However, before they had a strictly platonic relationship, Alley had serious feelings toward Travolta although she was married to Parker Stevens at the time. During an interview with Howard Stern, Kristie admitted that it took her a "long time to not see Travolta as a romantic interest."
The Travoltas Were Such A Close Couple
For Closer Weekly, the Travolta couple once sat down and talked about the strategies and practices they used to make their marriage work. Travolta opened up, saying that they were constantly working on their marriage to make it the best it could be, even though it had already been 25 years at that point.
He stated, "We really care deeply about each other and we protect each other — and we keep [our relationship] up to date." Kelly added the importance of spending alone time together to focus on each other.
Travolta Is A Sucker For His Kids
At one point, Daily Mail revealed that John Travolta is a total pushover when it comes to his kids. Preston also once admitted that "Daddy says yes to everything. He is that dad." Apparently, Travolta is a lot worse with his son Ben than his daughter Ella, but that doesn't mean he always says no to her requests either.
Preston went on to say that after she told the kids no about something, they know to go around her, back to their father, who will almost always say yes.
Travolta At The 2014 Academy Awards Ceremony
The 2014 Oscars wasn't the best night of John Travolta's life, as he embarrassed himself on one occasion. First, he received a lot of criticism for introducing Idina Menzel as "Adele Dazeem." As you can imagine, the comedians had a field day with this hiccup.
He later apologized to the singer and sent her flowers, although Menzel jokingly got back at him by introducing him as "Glom Gazingo." Then, once she had joined him on stage he excessively touched her face... awkward.
Amazing Career With No Academy Award
While there's no doubt that Travolta has had quite an extraordinary acting career, he is yet to win an Oscar for his work. At least ten of his films have grossed over $100 million in the United States, with eight grossing more than $200 million worldwide.
His acting abilities and performances in films such as Grease, Pulp Fiction, Saturday Night Fever, Hairspray, and more have made him one of the most sought after actors in the business, but where's his Oscar?
