In a recent interview with Good Morning America, John Travolta spoke about how his youngest son Ben has helped his family heal after the death of his son Jett in 2009. Jett, who had autism and suffered from seizures, died at the age of 16 after hitting his head on a bathtub while having a seizure.
A year later, Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, welcomed their youngest son Benjamin, now 5. They also have a 16-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu.
“Having little Ben has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to rebond after a tremendous loss”
“We certainly have bonded together,” Travolta said in the interview. “Certainly having little Ben has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to rebond after a tremendous loss.”
In a 2011 interview with People, Travolta said that Ben had “given the house a renewed spirit and purpose.” Travolta had been in the delivery room with his wife, holding her hand throughout the whole process.
On the next page: Travolta on his grief after son Jett’s death.
Travolta previously spoke about the death of Jett during an on-stage interview at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, describing it as “the worst thing that’s ever happened in my life.”
“The truth is, I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” the Pulp Fiction star said. “Life was no longer interesting to me, so it took a lot to get me better.”
He went on to say that after Jett passed away, he “didn’t want to wake up.” He also credited the Church of Scientology for helping him get back on his feet; Travolta has been a member of the controversial religion since the ‘70s.
“[His death was] the worst thing that’s ever happened in my life”
Photo: patrick_j_boucher/Instagram
“I will forever be grateful to Scientology for supporting me for two years solid, I mean Monday through Sunday,” he said. “They didn’t take a day off, working through different angles of the techniques to get through grief and loss, and to make me feel that finally I could get through a day.”
Travolta and Preston are now working in the new movie The Life and Death of John Gotti. Travolta, 62, is playing the notorious mobster John Gotti, while Preston, 53, plays his wife Victoria.
(Lead photo: cinemotion_official/Instagram)
READ: My rainbow baby: A mother’s story of loss, hope, and new beginnings
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