John Travolta Gets Raw In His Tribute To Kirstie Alley

Actor Kirstie Alley, best known for her work on "Cheers" and "Veronica's Closet," has died after a brief battle with cancer at the age of 71. Her kids, True and Lillie Parker, confirmed her passing in a statement on Instagram on December 5, remembering Alley as an "incredible, fierce, and loving mother." They added, "She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead," they said.

Alley got her breakthrough playing Rebecca Howe in "Cheers" from 1987 to 1993. The role earned her a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy series, per IMDb. She also starred in other projects like "David's Mother" and "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan." Moreover, Alley played John Travolta's leading lady in the romantic comedy "Look Who's Talking" in 1989, which had two sequels, "Look Who's Talking Too" and "Look Who's Talking Now" in the '90s. Most recently, she appeared in the 2020 Lifetime movie "You Can't Take My Daughter" as Suzanne. However, her career had unfortunately begun to fizzle out towards the end of her life. 

Following the announcement of her death, tributes poured in from fans and colleagues of Alley on social media, including Travolta, who shared a loving message for his late co-star on Instagram.

John Travolta posted a brief but touching tribute to Kirstie Alley in the wake of her death. Sharing a throwback photo of him and Alley, Travolta reflected on the bond he had with his "Look Who's Talking" co-star. "Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I've ever had," he shared. "I love you Kirstie. I know we will see each other again." Kirstie previously revealed just how much Travolta meant to her while on "Celebrity Big Brother U.K." in 2018, admitting that she developed feelings for him during their time working together (per People). In fact, she considered Travolta to be "the greatest love of my life."

In a 2020 interview on "The Talk," Alley said she and Travolta were open to doing another "Look Who's Talking" sequel. "John and I, we both really want to do it, because we think it's funny that we're the grandparents. Our kids will be ugly so that we'll still be the stars, but the grandkids can be really cute," she said (per People). "We heard a rumor they were doing it, but I don't know if it's with us or without us." At the time, a reboot of the film was reported to be in the works, with Deadline reporting that Jeremy Garelick of "The Wedding Ringer" would write and direct the project. With Alley gone, time will only tell how this project will move forward, if at all. 

Kirstie Alley was married to "Baywatch" star Parker Stevenson when John Travolta played her love interest in "Look Who's Talking," but Travolta had her wanting to make like greased lightnin' and speed away into the sunset with the "Grease" heartthrob. In a 2013 interview with ET, Alley revealed that she was screaming inside the first time she met Travolta, but she did her best to play it cool. Travolta said that he had no idea Alley was romantically interested in him, chalking up his obliviousness to her incredible acting skills. Then in a 2012 "Nightline" interview with Barbara Walters, Alley said, "Believe me, it took everything that I had inside, outside, whatever, to not run off and marry John." Travolta was single at the time, but Alley revealed that she decided to stick with Stevenson. "I feel like, when you marry someone, you're supported to work hard at it," she explained.

"Look Who's Talking" hit theaters in 1989, and Alley remained married to Stevenson until 1997. By the time she was single again, Travolta had wed "Mischief" star Kelly Preston. However, Alley and Travolta got another opportunity to fall in love with each other on screen when they appeared together in Alley's sitcom "Kirstie" in 2014. Alley told ET that their television love scene wasn't as steamy as the one they'd previously filmed because they had on more clothing. "Give us 20 more years and see what we're wearing," she joked.

Kirstie Alley had a difficult time letting go of her romantic feelings for John Travolta. In fact, she couldn't even hide them from his wife. During a 2018 appearance on "The Dan Wootton Interview," Alley confessed that her flirtations with her close friend eventually started making Travolta's wife, Kelly Preston, feel uncomfortable. "Kelly came up to me — and they were married then — and she said, 'Uh, why are you flirting with my husband?'" she recalled. According to Alley, getting called out made her realize that it was finally time to stop treating Travolta like a potential romantic partner. 

Luckily, Alley and Preston were able to put the awkwardness behind them and forge their own special bond. "Kirstie is one of my absolute best friends," Preston told Health in 2013. Like Alley, Preston also died from cancer. After she passed away in 2020, Alley paid tribute to Preston on Twitter. She shared a link to Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole's moving mashup of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World" and wrote, "Kelly ... you are Hawaii and I am Kansas. The perfect combination for best friends. I love you forever Shooster." She also suggested that they would meet again someday.