Tue. Jul 8th, 2025

John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s Loving Marriage: A Timeline

John Travolta and Kelly Preston had a love-filled marriage up until the day the actress died in July 2020.

The longtime couple met in 1987 while working on 1989’s The Experts. “I see, no lie, coming across the hall with his two dogs, this really hot guy,” Preston recalled of their first encounter while speaking to Us Weekly and other reporters in 2018. “Then he stops and says hello. And I was like, ‘Oh s***. Kill me now.’ You know, like, ‘Oh, my God.’”

Travolta and Preston got engaged on New Year’s Eve in 1990 and tied the knot twice the following year. They welcomed son Jett in 1992 and daughter Ella in 2000. Their youngest son, Benjamin, was born in 2010 — the year after Jett died at 16 after experiencing a seizure.

Preston died in July 2020 after having secretly battled breast cancer for two years. She was 57.

In the wake of her passing, Travolta posted a loving tribute in his wife’s honor on Instagram. “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,” he wrote. “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.”

Years after her mom’s passing, Ella paid tribute to Preston on Mother’s Day 2025 with throwback photos of her parents.

“Happy Mother’s Day to the strongest, most beautiful, loving, funny, smart woman I know,” Ella wrote via her Instagram Story. “I love you.”

Scroll through the gallery below to see the twosome’s love throughout the years.

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1987
Travolta and Preston met during a screen test for their 1989 film The Experts.
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December 1990
Travolta proposed to Preston while spending New Year’s Eve at the Palace Hotel restaurant in Gstaad, Switzerland.
Pool BENAINOUS/REGLAIN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
September 1991
The head-over-heels duo shared a sweet smooch at the Deauville Film Festival in Deauville, France, a few days after their nuptials. They held a second wedding in Florida later that month.
Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage.com
February 1992
An expectant Preston — pregnant with the couple’s first child, son Jett — was by her husband’s side for the Grease original theatre production’s 20th anniversary in Universal City, California.
Bei/Shutterstock
April 1992
The couple welcomed their son Jett together.
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April 2000
The duo welcomed their second child, daughter Ella Bleu.
TAHITI PRESSE/SIPA
June 2002
Travolta, who has been a pilot for over 40 years, was named a goodwill ambassador for Aussie-based airline Qantas. In the summer of 2002, the actor flew his family (including Jett and Ella) on a Boeing 707 to Bora Bora.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
October 2002
Birthday surprise! At a benefit concert for the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition, Travolta brought in a cake for his wife, who turned 40 that year.
Dave M. Benett/Getty Images
October 2005
Preston and Travolta grooved on stage at the Church of Scientology’s Annual Charity Gala concert in East Grinstead, England.
Rogers and Cowan via Getty Images
January 2009
Jett died tragically at the age of 16 after suffering a seizure during a family vacation in the Bahamas. In an interview two years later, Preston described the “unfathomable” loss of their son: “I felt at times I was drowning. It felt like a sea of wet blankets. And I just peeled them off, layer by layer . . . I can now [say], ‘I love life. My life is beautiful and amazing.'”
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November 2009
After Jett’s tragic passing, the Jerry Maguire actress and the Pulp Fiction standout attended the Old Dogs world premiere in Hollywood with daughter Ella.
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November 2010
Preston gave birth to the couple’s third child, son Benjamin, nearly two years after Jett’s death.
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May 2018
The couple and their kids had a family outing at the Cannes Film Festival for the screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Shutterstock; YouTube
June 2018
During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Preston opened up about what she likes most about Travolta. “His lips, dancing, fun, laughing. [We still dance] all the time,” she said. “Kids dance with us, we dance at the house. We go out dancing. Yeah, I love it.”
Brian Douglas/Lionsgate/Kobal/Shutterstock (2)
June 2018
The duo made their last onscreen appearance together in the film Gotti when it hit the big screen.
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June 2018
Travolta told Us how the couple kept their love alive. “We’re so busy with the kids and our careers and being proactive in our church that, you know, every day is date night. It’s a very busy life we have,” the Hairspray actor said.
Courtesy John Travolta/Instagram
September 2019
The couple celebrated their 28-year wedding anniversary together. “Happy Anniversary to my wonderful wife ♥️ @therealkellypreston,” he wrote via Instagram while sharing a photo of the pair posing together.
Courtesy John Travolta/Instagram
May 2020
Travolta honored Preston on Mother’s Day with a sweet Instagram tribute as he shared a photo that featured the actress with their kids. “Today, and every day, we celebrate you @therealkellypreston for being the best mother to our kids,” he previously wrote. “Happy Mother’s Day! And Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms today!”
Courtesy Kelly Preston/Instagram
June 2020
In what would be Preston’s final Instagram post, she paid tribute to Travolta on Father’s Day by posting a sweet photo of the pair’s family. “Happy Father’s Day to the best one I know, we love you 😘 💕,” she wrote.
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July 2020
Preston passed away at 57 following a two-year battle with breast cancer. In a heartfelt Instagram tribute from Travolta, he said she “fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many” and noted how she “will always be remembered.”
David Fisher/Shutterstock
October 2020
The Saturday Night Fever star paid tribute to his late wife on what would have been her 58th birthday.
“Happy Birthday hon!” Travolta wrote via Instagram, alongside a photo of the couple’s 1991 wedding. “I found this photo of my mom and dad‘s wedding. It was nice to see ours alongside theirs. All my love, John.”
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May 2021
The Grease actor honored Preston on Mother’s Day one year after her death.
“Dearest Kelly, you brought into my life three of the most wonderful children I have ever known,” he captioned a pair of family photos on Instagram. “Thank you. We love and miss you. Happy Mother’s Day.”
MediaPunch/Shutterstock
October 2022
The Grease star took to social media to celebrate what would have been his late wife’s 60th birthday. 
“Happy birthday to my favorite dance partner! We love you and miss you Kelly,” he wrote alongside a sweet snap of the couple at the June 1997 premiere of Face/Off. 

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