Thirteen years after John Travolta’s son Jett’s death, the actor honored his late child on what would have been his 30th birthday.
“My dearest Jetty, I miss you more than words can say,” the Grease star, 68, captioned a throwback black-and-white Instagram photo on Wednesday, April 13. “I think about you every day. Happy Birthday. Love, your Dad.”
Jamie Lee Curtis commented on the sweet social media upload, “Oh John. My hand in yours. X J.”
The New Jersey native and his late wife, Kelly Preston, welcomed Jett in April 1992, followed by daughter Ella, now 22, and Benjamin, now 11, in April 2000 and November 2010, respectively. Jett died in January 2009 while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas.
In January 2019, Travolta exclusively told Us Weekly that his eldest child’s passing was “the worst thing that’s ever happened in [his] life,” adding, “The truth is, I didn’t know if I was going to make it.”
The singer credited Scientology with his recovery at the time, telling Us, “The church never left our sides for two years. I don’t know if I would have made it through without their support. … Our church is the No. 1 thing that keeps us grounded.”
Travolta became a member of Scientology in 1975 before he met Preston. The Florida native became a member prior to their 1991 nuptials, and she also praised the organization while speaking about Jett’s death in August 2011.
“I don’t know if I would have made it through without it,” the actress told Health magazine of the church at the time. “Don’t sweat the small things. Love your kids like it could be the last moment.”
Travolta announced in July 2020 that the What a Girl Wants star had died after secretly battling breast cancer.
“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,” the American Crime Story alum told his Instagram followers at the time. “She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many. 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.”
Ella subsequently paid tribute to her late mother in a social media post of her own, writing, “I have never met anyone as courageous, strong, beautiful and loving as you. Anyone who is lucky enough to have known you or to have ever been in your presence will agree that you have a glow and a light that never ceases to shine and that makes anyone around you feel instantly happy.”
