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John Travolta opens up about devastating loss of son Jett

Actor reveals how birth of youngest child helped family recover from losing their son

John Travolta has revealed how the birth of his youngest child helped him recover from the tragic loss of his son Jett.

The 62-year-old Pulp Fiction star opened up about the family’s unimaginable loss in an interview with Good Morning America.

Travolta’s autistic son Jett was just 16-years-old when he died after having a seizure and hit his head on a bathtub in the Bahamas in 2009.

But five years ago the family welcomed new joy into their lives when wife Kelly Preston gave birth to a baby boy called Ben.

Ben’s birth breathed new life into the grief-struck world of the Travoltas, who also have a 16-year-old daughter Ella Bleu.

“Certainly having little Ben has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to rebound after tremendous loss,” the actor said.

Ben was born after the couple tried for three years to conceive.

Speaking to PEOPLE near the time of his birth, Travolta said: “He’s given the house a renewed spirit and purpose.”

Both Travolta and Preston, 53, are currently shooting The Life and Death of John Gotti in Cincinnati.

Travolta plays the notorious gangster while his wife of 25 years plays his on-screen wife Victoria.

The actor says he was drawn to the role because it showed the more sensitive side of the notorious Mafia boss.

“There’s always two sides to a story,” he said.

“They had a very human other side of existence which is their family and their trials and tribulations.”


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor