Kelly Preston, actor and wife of John Travolta, succumbs to breast cancer
Kelly Preston, who played opposite Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire (1996) and Arnold Schwarzenneger in Twins (1988), died on Sunday, July12, as confirmed by her husband, John Travolta.
Preston was 57 years old.
The sad news was announced by Travolta on Instagram who said that his wife of 28 years has died after battling breast cancer for two years.
He said, “It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer.
“She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many.”
The couple had three children together.
In the same post, Travolta said that he and his family will be taking the time off to grieve but nonetheless thanked everyone for the love his wife received during her fight against the disease.
“My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side.”
Legacy in Hollywood
Born Kelly Kamaleluhua Smith on October 13, 1962, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Preston had a lengthy acting career in both movies and television spanning more than two decades.
She was originally married to actor Kevin Gage but divorced two years later in 1987.
The year after, Preston met Travolta while shooting the 1989 film, The Experts, a Hollywood flick about a group of Soviet spies who hires hip New Yorkers to understand American culture.
They were married in 1991 in Paris while Preston was expecting her first child, Jett. They then had two other children named Ella Bleu and Benjamin.
She then starred opposite Kevin Costner in the film For the Love of the Game and even appeared in the Maroon 5 music video "She Will Be Loved."
In 2009, their eldest son, Jett Travolta, died after a seizure at the family's vacation home in the Bahamas. He was only 16 years old.
The couple then returned to acting in the Nicholas Sparks adaptation, The Last Song (2010), which starred Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth.
They starred in their last movie together in 2019 titled Gotti with Travolta playing the protagonist John Gotti and Preston playing the crime boss's wife, Victoria.
Travolta said on Instagram, “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.”
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