The Untold Truth Of Ben Travolta

John Travolta has grown up and transformed in the public eye. From his breakthrough role in 1977's "Saturday Night Fever" when he was just 23 years old to his latest TV role in 2020's "Die Hart" at age 66, the world has been watching Travolta for over four decades. Throughout all that time he's managed to act pretty much non-stop, but he also made sure to focus on other priorities and make time for family. In 1991, he married Kelly Preston and a decades-long love affair followed. But his charmed life hasn't been without its hardships. Travolta has experienced more tragedy than most in his personal life, including the unexpected death of his 16-year-old son, Jett, followed by the sudden passing of his beloved wife.

Through the darkness, Travolta has found strength in his two other children, Ella Bleu Travolta and Benjamin Hunter Kaleo Travolta. A proud papa, he's regularly gushed about his daughter, like in January 2022 when he helped promote the release of her single, "Dizzy," in a super sweet Instagram video. And now that Ben is getting older, the actor is also starting to share more heartwarming updates about his son with his 4.5 million followers and counting. Although the pre-teen still has a very private life far away from social media, we have learned quite a few things about him through his dad. This is the untold truth of Ben Travolta.

John Travolta and Kelly Preston experienced an unfathomable loss in January 2009 when their 16-year-old son, Jett, died suddenly, per CBS News. The family was vacationing at their home in the Bahamas when Jett reportedly suffered a seizure, hit his head on a bathtub, and was found unconscious. Despite medical intervention, he died shortly after. In a joint statement, Travolta and Preston told supporters, "We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives."

A little over a year later, that sorrow and grief were mixed with joy when the couple found out Preston was pregnant. According to People, she and Travolta had been trying to grow their family for several years and, following Jett's death, made the difficult decision to keep trying. Jump to May 2010 and they announced they were expecting their third child. Son Benjamin Hunter Kaleo Travolta was born in November 2010, per People, and the couple, along with then-10-year-old daughter Ella Bleu, said they were "ecstatic and very happy about the newest member of the family." Two months later, Travolta shared just how big of an impact Ben had on the family when he told People, "He's given the house a renewed spirit and purpose." He added, per ABC News, "He's brought us a new beginning, and his presence has brought joy to all the people who have wanted the best for us." However, he admitted, "I don't think there is any time that we don't think about [Jett]."

Jett Travolta's death in 2009 pushed his father into a dark place. As John Travolta confessed to BBC News in 2014, "I didn't know if I was going to make it [because] life was no longer interesting to me." Indeed, he and Jett shared an instant bond from the moment he was born in 1992. As the actor told People in 1994, "I can't imagine what life would be like without Jett." He reminisced how, "after he was born and cleaned up, I held him for hours while Kelly slept. When they came to take him away for various tests, I said, 'No, you can't see him today. You'll have to do it another day.' I went a little nutsy."

Moving forward, his loss informed all of his parents' biggest life decisions. As Kelly Preston told People (via Closer Weekly), she and her husband had been trying to get pregnant for years but stopped immediately. It took time for them to decide to keep trying but in the end, that choice proved to be a blessing. "When I found out I was pregnant, I was floored," she said. Once she told Travolta, "We both started crying. It was wonderful." In October 2017, Travolta told Good Morning America that Ben Travolta was more than a joyous blessing — he was their savior. "Certainly, having little Ben has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to rebond after tremendous loss," he explained.

The Travolta family suffered another huge loss when Kelly Preston died of breast cancer in July 2020, per People. The 57-year-old had been battling the disease secretly for two years and she left behind two heartbroken children and a beloved husband to whom she had been married since 1991. John Travolta broke the tragic news on Instagram and explained he was switching his focus entirely to his kids. "I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don't hear from us for a while," he wrote.

At the time of Preston's passing, Ella was 20 years old and understood what the death meant but a nine-year-old Ben struggled to come to terms with the loss of his mother. As Travolta later told Kevin Hart on his talk show, Hart to Heart, (via E! News) he had a very honest conversation with his son about death. When Ben shared that he was worried that Travolta would also die, he told him honestly, "Nobody knows when they're going to go or when they're going to stay. Your brother left at 16. Too young. Your mother left at 57 and that was too young." He also told his young son that it's an unavoidable part of life and that it happens to everyone and concluded with a valuable lesson: "You just do your best at trying to live the longest you can."

In March 2022, the Travoltas added a pooch to their family, but it wasn't just any ol' dog. Taking to Instagram to share a photo of himself alongside Ben and the new pup, John Travolta revealed that their newly adopted doggo was the same pup Jamie Lee Curtis had been holding at the 2022 Oscars. While paying tribute to Betty White during the show's In Memoriam segment, Curtis brought the puppy on stage and spoke about White's animal advocacy. "Day in and day out for almost a century, she was a woman who cared so much for not just her two-legged friends, but for animals just like this," Curtis said before encouraging everyone to adopt a pooch in need. "The greatest gift you could give Betty White is to open your heart and your home and adopt a rescue dog, just like Mac & Cheese from Paw Works," she encouraged.

John Travolta heard her loud and clear. He was instantly smitten and went to meet Mac & Cheese backstage and he and Ben adopted her the very next day. As Curtis gushed on Instagram, "It is an emotional end and a perfect tribute to Betty White and it shines a light and AMPLIFIES the message [...] that rescuing animals and offering them shelter from the storm of life and a warm and loving home is one of life's most important actions we humans can take!"

Ben Travolta isn't even a teen yet but he's already got fitness skills to outshine most of us. As proud papa John Travolta revealed in April 2022, his 11-year-old son is a master of parkour. The sport, which is also known as freerunning, originated in France in the '80s, according to parkouruk, and its goal is "to move freely over and through any terrain using only the abilities of the body, principally through running, jumping, climbing and quadrupedal movement." In other words, you want to get from one point to another as fluidly as possible while avoiding any possible obstacles in your way.

It's no easy feat but as Travolta showed in a 16-second clip posted to Instagram, Ben has been training in an indoor gym and can slay an obstacle course like a pro without missing a single jump or connection. "My Spider-Man Ben!" Travolta gushed in the caption and folks agreed. As People noted, a slew of famous names were impressed, including Jamie Lee Curtis who commented "WOWZA." That May, Travolta shared another video of his son doing parkour to Instagram. This time, Ben hit a new personal best by swinging off a bar and effortlessly landing on a block placed feet away. And he's not showing any signs of slowing down. In September 2022, Ben tackled a seriously difficult-looking course and crushed the whole thing without a single missed step. "Ben just achieved a level 3 ninja and I'm so proud," Travolta enthused on Instagram.

John, Ella, and Ben Travolta have all suffered incredible loss, but it's only made their family bond stronger. For one, the actor is completely smitten with his son as he's clearly shown through his gushing social media posts (in 2020, he celebrated Ben's 10th birthday by gushing, "My wonderful Ben! I love you!"), as well as all the time he spends bonding with Ben. In July 2021, for example, father and son attended a Stanley Cup Playoffs game in Tampa Bay, Florida and could be seen having the time of their lives in the VIP box, per Instagram. But Ben isn't just incredibly close with his dad – he and sister Ella are also like two peas in a pod and her birthday posts are proof. In November 2021, she celebrated his 11th birthday on Instagram by gushing, "The sweetest boy I know. You continue to teach me so much and brighten our lives." Meanwhile, Travolta enthused, "Happy birthday my beautiful boy. Your dad adores you!"

There's no denying they're a strong family unit. In 2021, Travolta celebrated Father's Day by sharing a photo of himself and his kids and writing, "It is a privilege to be the father of these two beautiful children – thank you for the honor and my love and respect to all fathers." Jump to July 2022 and the trio hit the road for a whirlwind vacation that included stops in Iceland, Greece, Dubai, and Paris, France, per Instagram.