John Travolta, 67, may be known as one the entertainment industry’s biggest actors, but he’s also a devoted dad. The Grease star had three children with his wife Kelly Preston before her passing in 2020 and has showed fans tidbits of his relationship with them over the years. His family includes his late son Jett, who was his first child, daughter Ella and youngest son Benjamin.
Find out more about John and Kelly’s children below.
Jett
Jett was born on Apr. 13, 1992 in Los Angeles, CA. John and Kelly were very open about his autism and revealed her had Kawasaki syndrome, which is “an illness that causes blood vessels to become inflamed,” according to WebMD. “He was autistic, he had seizures and when he was very young, he had Kawasaki syndrome,” Kelly reportedly said in an episode of The Doctors in 2012. Jett sadly died in 2009 at the age of 16 after he suffered a seizure at his family’s vacation home in the Bahamas.
After his death, John and Kelly made sure to keep his memory alive by sharing his story with the media and posting photos of him on social media, especially on special occasions like his birthday. On the 10th anniversary of his passing, Kelly shared a sweet tribute to him that included a heartwarming message. “To my sweet love, Jett … you are in our hearts forever,” she wrote alongside a photo of her and John kissing him. “I send love to all of the beautiful autistic children and the wonderful people who love them. May we all shine and grant love and respect to children with special needs.”
Ella
Ella was born on Apr. 3, 2000 in California. She followed in her parents’ footsteps when she appeared in her first acting role at age 9. It was in a role in Old Dogs alongside Robin Williams and she went on to appear in John’s movie, The Poison Rose in 2019. She also starred in a live-action reimagining of Alice in Wonderland called Get Lost in 2021 and John proudly took to Instagram to share a snapshot of her in costume along with a loving message. “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!” he wrote.
When Ella’s not building her acting resume, she’s spending time with her family and often posts photos with her dad and younger brother Benjamin whenever she can. She also often shares heartfelt tributes to Jett and her mom Kelly.
Benjamin
Benjamin was born on Nov. 23, 2010 and is the youngest child of John and Kelly. He has already enjoyed the spotlight with his parents and made his red carpet debut at the France premiere of Solo: A Star Wars Story in May 2018. When he’s not around cameras, he likes to play all kinds of sports. “He’s into gymnastics, tennis, fishing and the computer world, like all the kids,” John told PEOPLE in Aug. 2019.
The talented pre-teen also enjoys dancing and has been seen in a few dancing videos with his dad. John also revealed that his youngest son seems to have a serious side and said he taught him a lesson about living and being grateful when they had a discussion about death after his mom died. “He said, ‘Does 30 years ago seem like a long time?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Don’t you think you have 30 more years in your life to live?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I do. I have at least 30 more years.’ He said, ‘What’s wrong with that?’” John explained on Hart to Heart in Aug. 2021. “This is a 10-year-old telling me that! It changed my viewpoint.”