John Travolta pays tribute to ‘best friend’ Bill Kenwright in emotional social media post after working with him on two films: ‘We’ll see you on the road’

John Travolta has paid tribute to Everton football club chairman and West End impresario Bill Kenwright following his death on October 23 at the age of 78.

Premier League club Everton announced Kenwright’s death on Tuesday, confirming that he died peacefully while surrounded by his family and loved ones after battling cancer.

Hollywood star Travolta, 69, has since joined a host of stars in paying tribute to the Liverpool-born producer, a lifelong Everton fan who regularly attended the team’s home games at Goodison Park.

Sharing a photo with Instagram followers, the actor revealed that Kenwright had been a close friend to himself and his late wife Kelly Preston, who lost her own battle with cancer in 2020 at the age of 57.

He wrote: “Dear Bill, we will miss you and cannot thank you enough for your kindness to Kelly and myself. We’ll see you on the way, love JT.”

Previously: Travolta had a professional connection with the late impresario after playing a crazed stalker in the 2019 thriller The Fanatic (pictured), a film Kenwright co-produced

Travolta had a professional connection with the late impresario after playing a crazed stalker in the 2019 thriller The Fanatic, a film Kenwright co-produced with Daniel Grodnik and Oscar Generale.

He will also appear in the upcoming Disney+ short film The Shepherd, the producer’s final production credit before his death on October 23.

Kenwright began his showbiz career as an actor, appearing in the soap opera Coronation Street in the late 1960s, returning occasionally over the years after starting production.

He became one of Britain’s leading stage impresarios, producing shows in London’s West End and on Broadway – some flops, many hits, including Blood Brothers, which ran in London for 24 years, and a successful touring production of Joseph and the Great Technicolor Dreamcoat.

One of his most recent shows as a producer was Heathers: The Musical, which is currently touring the UK.

In 2001, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to theater and film.

Kenwright first joined Everton’s board in 1989, purchasing a 68% stake in 1999 and becoming chairman in 2004.

It was a position he continued to hold until his death, despite a turbulent last few years under Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, who wanted to sell the club and had recently taken control of the board.

Loyal supporter: Everton chairman Kenwright was a lifelong fan of the Premier League club and regularly attended the team’s home games at Goodison Park

Old times: Kenwright with former Everton manager David Moyes and a teenage Wayne Rooney, who started his football career at the Merseyside club

True legend: The club chairman (right) was present when football icon Paul Gascoigne signed for Everton in 2000

Early career: Kenwright began his showbiz career as an actor, appearing in the soap opera Coronation Street in the late 1960s, returning for occasional appearances over the years

In August he had a cancerous tumor removed from his liver, but complications required a prolonged stay in intensive care before he could continue his recovery at home.

Wayne Rooney, the England and Manchester United great who broke through at Everton as a 16-year-old prodigy, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Kenwright “had a huge impact on me as a person and my career.”

“Great man and a great inspiration,” he wrote.

Elsewhere, actor Sir Ian McKellen wrote: ‘Like many grateful actors, I am indebted to Bill Kenwright for work.’

McKellen said Kenwright “seemed to know and care about everyone in the industry. Yet any conversation would return to his equal passion: Everton football.”

He added: ‘The city that gave us The Beatles and two great football teams has also produced a unique impresario. Whether the lights on the West End will be turned off in his memory, our business will certainly be weaker now that he is gone.”