John Travolta Pays Tribute to Late Son Jett on What Would Have Been His 29th Birthday: 'I Love You'
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John Travolta is remembering his late son, Jett.
The Grease actor, 67, shared a heartfelt Instagram tribute to Jett on Tuesday, which would have marked his 29th birthday. Jett, the son of Travolta and the late Kelly Preston, died in January 2009 while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas. The teen, then 16, had hit his head on a bathtub after suffering a seizure at his family's vacation home at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island.
"Happy birthday my beautiful Jetty. I love you," Travolta wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of him with his son.
Travolta's daughter, Ella, 21, commented three heart emojis on her dad's post. She also shared her own tribute to her late brother, sharing a photo of the two together when they were younger.
"I love you Jetty. Happy Birthday❤️," wrote Ella.
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This marks Jett's first birthday since Preston's death in July after a two-year battle with breast cancer. She was 57.
While Travolta and Preston did not speak often about Jett, who had Autism, the late actress did open up in November 2012 while on an episode of The Doctors.
"[Jett] was autistic. He had seizures and when he was very young, he had Kawasaki Syndrome," Preston said at the time. "I strongly believe as a mother, as does my husband, that there are certain contributing factors that lead to autism and some of it is very much the chemicals in our environment and in our food."
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A family representative told PEOPLE exclusively of Preston's death on July 12.
"On the morning of July 12, 2020, Kelly Preston, adored wife and mother, passed away rolling a two-year battle with breast cancer," said the rep. "Choosing to keep her fight private, she had been undergoing medical treatment for some time, supported by her closest family and friends," the family rep said. "She was a bright, beautiful and loving soul who cared deeply about others and who brought life to everything she touched. Her family asks for your understanding of their need for privacy at this time."
Travolta, who was married to Preston for nearly three decades, confirmed his wife's death in a heartfelt Instagram post.
"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," he wrote on Instagram. "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. Kelly's love and life will always be remembered."
