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john travolta and daughter ella bleu pulp fiction 30th anniversary screening 2024 tcm classic film festival© Getty Images

John Travolta and daughter Ella share unseen photos of Kelly Preston in poignant Mother's Day tributes

The Grease actor's late wife passed away in 2020 aged 57 after a battle with breast cancer

Beatriz Colon
Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
May 12, 2024
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Mother's Day in the US will always be an emotional day for John Travolta and his family.

It has been almost four years since the Grease actor's wife Kelly Preston passed away aged 57 after a battle with cancer, on July 12, 2020.

The couple had married almost 30 years prior in 1991, and in their time together they welcomed son Jett, who passed away aged 16 in 2009 after suffering from a seizure, as well as daughter Ella Bleu, who just turned 24, and son Benjamin, who is 13.

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In honor of Mother's Day, both John and his daughter Ella took to Instagram to share touching tributes to Kelly.

For her own tribute, Ella shared a throwback photo of her as a baby, enjoying a bubble bath with her mom.

"Happy Mother's Day, mama," she wrote next to a pink heart emoji, adding: "I love you so much." Fans were then quick to take to the comments section under the post with supportive messages, one writing: "Aw, beautiful photo. You look alike. I'm sure your mama will be watching over you with a huge smile on her face," as others followed suit with: "Cutest photo and your mom was a saint. Happy Mother's Day to her," and: "What a beautiful mom. She would be so proud," as well as: "Beautiful pic… Happy Mother's Day to your beautiful mom."

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Her previous post on Instagram is in fact a tribute to her older brother Jett, in honor of what would have been his 32nd birthday on April 13. Ella, who was just shy of nine years old when he passed away, shared a black-and-white photo of the two sharing a chair, and wrote: "Happy Birthday, Jetty. I love you always."

MORE: John Travolta pens heartfelt tribute to late Grease star Susan Buckner: 'We will miss you'

MORE: John Travolta displays youthful appearance alongside gorgeous daughter Ella for rare red carpet outing

For his tribute to his late wife, John shared a round of throwback photos from a bake sale the family previously held, as well as a separate black-and-white portrait of Kelly with Ella and Jett.

Photo shared by John Travolta on Instagram in honor of Mother's Day 2024 of his late wife Kelly Preston with their kids Ella and Benjamin during a bake sale© Instagram
The Travoltas shared touching throwback photos in Kelly's honor

In the first of the photos, Kelly, Ella and Ben are pictured holding up their signs for the bake sale, and in the other, Ben is pictured giving a Mother's Day gift to his mom.

MORE: John Travolta's daughter Ella wows in crop top as she celebrates birthday inside $10M mansion

"Happy Mother's Day Kelly. We love you we miss you," John wrote in his caption, and Ella took to the comments section and left behind a string of red heart emojis.

Photo shared by John Travolta on Instagram in honor of Mother's Day 2024 of his late wife Kelly Preston with their son Benjamin during a previous Mother's Day© Instagram

Like his daughter, the doting father also recently shared a tribute to Jett in honor of his birthday, sharing a photo posing next to Kelly, who has Jett hoisted on her hips.

"Happy birthday my Jetty – not a day goes by where you're not with me!" he wrote.

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