Aurora Starchild
For John Travolta and his late wife, Kelly Preston, talent runs in the family. They had three children together: Jett, Ella Bleu, and Benjamin. Jett tragically passed away several years ago at the age of 16. But all three Travolta children, despite their youth, have already paved incredible paths in the world.
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Jett Travolta
Jett was Kelly and John’s first child, born on April 13, 1992. He was a survivor, diagnosed with Kawasaki syndrome as a toddler. As a result, he suffered from seizures his entire life. One of those seizures led to his death in January 2009.
Kawasaki syndrome inflames blood vessels and affects 150% more boys than girls, especially those younger than five. WebMD states that factors contributing to the disease can be genetic but can also include external causes, such as pathogens and chemicals.
Kelly said that she adopted a green lifestyle after learning that carpet-cleaning chemicals may have led to Jett’s disease.
Jett also fell on the autism spectrum, which Kelly Preston believed he was overcoming. During an interview on The Doctors, Kelly said that she believed he was “coming out of autism.” She spoke of her belief that contributing factors such as diet, a difficult labor, and too many antibiotics at a young age led to autism.
“I strongly believe as a mother, as does my husband, that there are certain contributing factors that lead to autism,” Kelly told The Doctors, per US Weekly.
Jett left an indelible mark on his family despite struggling with disabilities. He passed away while on a vacation in the Bahamas after suffering from a seizure in the bathtub. He fell and hit his head while the family was staying at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island. Jett would have turned 30 in 2022.
John Travolta once told People in 1994 that Jett changed his life. “I can’t imagine what life would be like without Jett,” he said. “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.”
The family pays tribute to their late son and brother every year with heartwarming posts commemorating their love.
Here is a photo of Jett with his younger sister, Ella Bleu, when she was an infant.
“I love you Jetty. Happy Birthday,” Ella captioned.
John’s most recent birthday post for Jett was captioned: “My dearest Jetty, I miss you more than words can say. I think about you everyday. Happy Birthday. Love, your Dad.”
Ella Bleu Travolta
Ella Bleu is John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s second-born child and only daughter. She was born on April 3, 2000, making her 22 today.
Ella started following in her parents’ footsteps as an actor at the young age of 9. She’s been steadily working on her acting portfolio and already has three films under her belt.
Ella’s IMDb lists Old Dogs (2009), The Poison Rose (2019), and Get Lost (not yet released). Ella played Emily in Old Dogs, alongside both of her parents as well as the late Robin Williams, Seth Green, and Lori Loughlin.
John once told The Talk about what it’s like being a stage dad and how proud he is of his daughter’s acting abilities.
“They gave her the most complicated scene,” he said of Ella’s role in The Poison Rose. “4 a.m. in the morning, she had to cry, hold a gun, consider all sorts of things … and she nailed it. And the crew gave her a big applause because you wouldn’t give it to anyone to do at that time. But I said, ‘Well, she’s on her own. She’s got to deliver.’ And she did.”
John Travolta posted a photo of Ella to his Instagram last year as she was on the set of Get Lost. Get Lost is a remake of Alice in Wonderland.
“Here’s my daughter Ella starring in a live-action re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland! Called, ‘Get Lost’ I’m a very proud dad!” John wrote.
Get Lost’s log line on IMDb describes the plot as “While backpacking through Europe with her boyfriend, Alicia/Alice encounters mysterious William/Mad Hatter, an expat from London aristocracy, and goes on a mind-bending overnight adventure in Budapest which magically turns into Wonderland.”
John has also said that he sees a lot of his late wife’s qualities in his daughter. Shortly after Kelly’s death from breast cancer in July 2020, a source told Closer Weekly that John sees her living on in their child.
“John is trying to keep it together for the kids, but actually Ella is helping him as much as he’s trying to comfort her,” the source told Closer. “He sees Kelly in Ella — the strength and unconditional love … she has all of Kelly’s good qualities.”
Ella happens to also have a stunningly gorgeous voice and can accompany herself on the piano.
Most recently, Ella made her modeling debut at New York Fashion Week. She walked on the catwalk for Karl Lagerfeld.
Benjamin Travolta
Benjamin was born on November 23, 2010, and is about to turn 12 years old. His birth came after his older brother passed away. John once told ABC that Ben’s presence helped the family heal from the tragic loss of Jett.
“We certainly have bonded together,” John said. “And certainly, having little Ben has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to re-bond after tremendous loss.”
Ben seems to have a certain air of confidence about him that may have come about from having so much exposure to red carpet events. He was attending movie premieres with his parents by the age of 5. Today, his father’s social media is chock-full of adorable moments showcasing Ben’s wide range of interests and skills.
Take, for instance, this impressive video of Ben completing an obstacle course reminiscent of American Ninja Warrior.
“Ben just achieved a level 3 ninja and I’m so proud,” John captioned.
Or this video of 10-year-old Ben dancing to “Grease Lightning” with dad.
At the age of 9, Ben had the composure to sit in the cockpit on his dad’s A380 Qantas.
And Ben has a soft side, too. Here he is with his new puppy, which he adopted this past spring.
“Ben adopted this dog from last nights Oscar tribute to Betty White,” John Travolta wrote on Instagram. “Thank you @curtisleejamie & @pawworks.”
