John Travolta shared an Instagram tribute to his late son Jett to mark what would’ve been his 30th birthday on April 13.
“My dearest Jetty, I miss you more than words can say,” John wrote, alongside a photograph of him and Jett. “I think about you everyday. Happy Birthday. Love, your Dad.”
Jett died in January 2009 at the age of 16 after suffering a seizure at the family’s vacation home in the Bahamas. John Travolta’s attorney at the time said Jett “had seizures in the past.”
John and late wife Kelly Preston‘s second child, Ella, 22, commented on her father’s tribute, “Happy Birthday Jetty, we love you so much.” Travolta’s post was also flooded with love and support from friends and fans.
John often shares tributes to Jett and discusses his impact during interviews.
During a 2021 appearance on Hart to Heart, Kevin Hart‘s talk show, the Grease actor discussed how he has spoken about death with his youngest child, 11-year-old Benjamin.
“He said to me once, ‘Because mom passed away, I’m afraid you’re going to,'” the actor recalled about Benjamin to Hart. “I said, ‘Well, it’s a very different thing.’ And I went through the differences about my longevity and her limited life.”
He said he then told his youngest, “You know, Ben, you always love the truth, and I’m gonna tell you the truth about life. Nobody knows when they’re gonna go or when they’re gonna stay…your brother left at 16 — too young. Your mother left at 57 — that was too young. But who’s to say?”
John concluded by telling Ben, “So let’s look at life…it’s part of life, you see? You don’t know exactly. You just do your best at trying to live the longest you can.”
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