John Travolta is known for his work on-screen as an actor, but behind the scenes he’s a devoted father.
John and his late wife, actress Kelly Preston, welcomed three children together. Here’s everything to know about the Travolta kids.
JETT TRAVOLTA
Born in April 1992, Jett Travolta was the first child of John and Kelly.
Speaking on becoming a dad for the first time, John told People, “After he was born and cleaned up, I held him for hours while Kelly slept. When they came to take him away for various tests, I said, ‘No, you can’t see him today. You’ll have to do it another day.’ I went a little nutsy.”
He added, “I can’t imagine what life would be like without Jett.”
Heartbreakingly, Jett died in January 2009 at the age of 16 after suffering a seizure and hitting his head on a bathtub. At the time, the family were on vacation at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island.
John and Kelly rarely spoke about Jett publicly, but in 2012 Kelly revealed, “[Jett] was autistic. He had seizures and when he was very young, he had Kawasaki Syndrome.”
In 2022, John shared a tribute to his son on what would have been his 30th birthday, writing “My dearest Jetty, I miss you more than words can say. I think about you everyday. Happy Birthday. Love, your Dad.”
ELLA BLEU TRAVOLTA
John and Kelly’s daughter, Ella Bleu Travolta, was welcomed into the world on 3 April 2000.
Ella has followed in her parents’ footsteps, and has acted in a variety of films including Old Dogs, The Poison Rose, and Get Lost.
She is also pursuing a music career and released her first EP, Colors of Love, in 2024.
John has described himself as “a very proud dad” when it comes to Ella.
“She is her own person. She is gracious, generous, poised, graceful and gorgeous. I don’t know how she came to be, and I don’t take any credit other than just adoring her,” John told People in 2019. “And maybe that’s a valid contribution.”
In addition to acting and singing, Ella is also a model. She made her New York Fashion Week debut in 2022, walking the Karl Lagerfeld show.
BENJAMIN TRAVOLTA
John and Kelly’s third child, son Benjamin Travolta, was born on 23 November 2010.
Ben doesn’t seem to have an interest in the entertainment industry like his parents and sister, but is instead pursuing a unique hobby: parkour.
John has shared some clips of his son’s skills on Instagram, uploading videos of Ben jumping and climbing across various objects.
The father-son duo have a very close bond and John revealed that he and Ben had an emotional conversation following Kelly’s death in 2020. The youngest Travolta confessed that he was scared of losing his dad too.
“I said, ‘But you know, Ben … you always love the truth and I’m going to tell you the truth about life. Nobody knows when they’re gonna go or when they’re going to stay,’ ” John recalled.
“Your brother [Jett] left at 16. Too young. Your mother left at 57. That was too young. But who’s to say? I could die tomorrow. You could. Anybody can,” he said. “So let’s look at it like it’s part of life. You don’t know exactly. You just do your best at trying to live the longest you can.”
