John Travolta's tragic life – son's sudden death to 2 partners dying from cancer

John Travolta is one of the most prestigious actors on the planet but his personal and private life has been anything but a walk in the park.

It seemed John was about to embark on a life of serious fortune after he’d dropped out of school and later managed to find fame in New York, becoming one of the most renowned actors of his time.

However, in spite of the iconic Grease stars successes, he has certainly had to content with his fair share of heartache over the years – suffering many family tragedies including the loss of his wife Kelly and his 16-year-old son Jett.

At the time of their son’s devastating death, both John and Kelly confessed that they never believed they would get over such pain, with the movie legend explaining he’d had to lean on his faith to get him through such an emotional time.

Here, the Daily Star explores the tragic suffering of the Travolta family.

Kelly’s courageous cancer battle

Kelly Preston won over the heart of John after the pair had met while filming the 1989 comedy The Experts.

The Jerry Maguire star and the Grease actor later married in 1991 and welcomed their first son Jett the following year.

They didn’t expand their family until 2000, when daughter Ella arrived, followed by another son, Benjamin, in 2010.

On July 13, 2020, John released a devastating Instagram announcement, confirming that his wife Kelly had sadly died following a two-year breast cancer battle.

He penned: “Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered.

“I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don’t hear from us for a while.

“But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal.”

Beloved nephew dies

Just weeks after his wife Kelly’s death, John faced another loss in the family as his nephew Sam Travolta Jr died aged 52.

Whilst he died at his home in Wisconsin, no details about his cause of death were revealed.

Sam was reportedly very proud of his uncle and had spoken about their close relationship, revealing that John had helped him out financially.

He told the National Enquirer in 2015: “I’m a struggling screenwriter living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment, so John’s money helps.”

Jett tragically passes away aged 16

When Jett was just a toddler, his parents revealed their son suffered from a condition known as Kawasaki syndrome.

At the time, little was known about the conditions other that it could cause fevers and skin rashes.

11 years after Jett’s birth, Kelly explained in an interview with the TV show The Doctors that she believed food poisoning while pregnant may have caused her son’s illness.

John and Kelly had previously aired that their son did have a history of suffering seizures and was also diagnosed with autism.

In 2009, their worlds would be turned upside down after their 16-year-old son was found unconscious in the bathroom, during a family vacation to the Bahamas.

Reports claimed that Jett had suffered a seizure, fatally hitting his head on side of the bathtub, despite efforts to resuscitate him.

In a statement, John and Kelly said: “Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for.

“We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time that we had with him for the rest of our lives,’ they said at the time.

In various interviews at the time, the Wild Hogs actor explained that he had leaned on the “Church of Scientology” for support while grieving the loss of his Jett.

John’s girlfriend Diana Hyland dies in his arms

Before the movie star had began family life with Kelly, he had also suffered a further devastating loss.

The prolific actor had just been making a name for himself in the film world when he was introduced to Diana Hyland.

While filming the critically acclaimed Boy In The Plastic Bubble in 70s, the pair fell head over heels for one another.

John landed his starring role in the cool high school movie that would change his life, when Diana sadly died of breast cancer.

Two years prior to her death, she had undergone a double mastectomy, with the Saturday Night Fever star telling the publication People that her death happened suddenly.

He explained: “She didn’t know she was going to die for sure until two weeks before.”

In the same interview he went on to reveal that Diana was her first true love, adding that they would have married had she not have passed away.

Speaking about her death, John told the publication that he had held Diana in his arms until the very end and even described feeling “the breath go out of her” as they said goodbye.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk