John Travolta comes from a family of entertainers. His parents worked in the entertainment industry, and he and his five siblings picked acting careers.
John dropped out of high school at 17 after deciding he wanted an acting career.
Not long after this, he got a role on Broadway in “Grease.” Five years later, the actor got his big break and became the nation’s heartthrob.
Although his career had a lull in the 80s, it picked up again in the 90s, and the actor continued with a succession of films that cemented his position in the industry.
John also has other passions besides acting. He is a trained pilot with three licenses. He has licenses to pilot the Boeing 737, Boeing 707 and Boeing 747, and other aircraft. To demonstrate his love for flying, John built and moved into a 550-acre house in Florida in the late 1990s. The Jumbolair Aviation Estates was specifically built for people looking to fly in and out of their homes.
The house fulfilled John’s dream of having a place where planes could land in the yard. One of the planes parked in one of the pavilions in the house is the Gulfstream II jet. The multi-hyphenate is also a singer and has released several albums, of which four singles have made the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40.
Aside from his abovementioned talents, the actor is also a family man as he loves and takes care of his children, especially after his wife, Kelly Preston, passed away in 2020.
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Kelly Preston, John Travolta (2011), (John Sciulli/WireImage via Getty Images)
John Travolta and Kelly Preston first met when they worked on the set of the movie “The Experts” released in 1989. It was the wrong timing at first because the actress was married to her ex-husband, Kevin Gage.
Years later, in 1991, the happy couple decided to tie the knot, and they did it twice. Entertainment Tonight reported that they ran away and eloped to Paris, but it wasn’t legal because there were laws placed for them as they were not citizens of France. The second one was in the United States.
Soon after, the pair welcomed their first child named Jett in April 1992. The second one was Ella Bleu in April 2000.
Tragedy struck the family because Jett died in January 2009 when the family spent time in the Bahamas for a vacation. He reportedly passed away after hitting his head on a bathtub following a seizure. He was only 16 years old.
“[Jett] was autistic. He had seizures and when he was very young, he had Kawasaki Syndrome,” Kelly revealed in a 2012 interview, as reported by CBS News.
John and Kelly decided to try and conceive another baby despite it being very risky and dangerous, considering that she was 47 at the time when she got pregnant.
She told Amanda de Cadenet in a 2012 interview that she and John tried to get pregnant for a long time. Finally, the couple welcomed their son Benjamin in 2010.
In an interview with TODAY in 2011, Kelly said: “I didn’t (consider this risks). I just thought that it was difficult… I never thought that would be me at all. So, I think we’re just really happy that we’re so fortunate.”
John Travolta, Kelly Preston (2004), (Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)
Since they were still grieving the loss of their firstborn, Kelly revealed that Benjamin helped the family heal after the tragedy.
“It’s been wonderfully healing. Of course, you know, we still — it’s still every day. But it’s been, I think, a really nice gift for a lot of people throughout the world. We’ve gotten the most beautiful letters. And the most beautiful notes of happiness,” she said.
John also said in a January 2011 interview with ABC News that Benjamin became a significant part of their family as they consider him “nothing less than a miracle.”
“He’s given the house a renewed spirit and purpose. He’s brought us a new beginning, and his presence has brought joy to all the people who have wanted the best for us,” the actor said.
In 2020, Kelly unfortunately died after battling breast cancer for two years. She was 57 at the time of her death.
In 2023, John is still a single parent to two of his children and their “miracle” baby is all grown up now as he celebrated his 13th birthday in November.
The actor shared old videos and photos of his son from when he was young until his early teenage years on his Instagram account. In the caption, he wrote: “I can’t believe my baby boy is now a teenager. Ben turns 13 today. I love you my son!”
On the other hand, his sister, Ella, also shared a throwback photo of him and shared an emotional caption as she wrote: “Happy Birthday my sweetest Benjamin, it feels like yesterday you were this young and now you’re 13!! I love you!❤️🎉”
What do you think of John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s ‘miracle’ baby? Would you take the risk of trying to conceive another baby in your late 40s like what the actress did? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.