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John Travolta celebrates son Ben’s 12th birthday as he and daughter Ella post touching tributes… two years after Kelly Preston’s heartbreaking death
John Travolta celebrates his son Benjamin’s 12th birthday.
On Wednesday, the Grease and Saturday Night Fever star posted an adorable photo to Instagram showing his boy cuddling with beloved pooch Peanut, which the acclaimed actor also attributed to daughter Ella, 22.
Happy birthday my Ben! From your father, Ella and Peanut!! We love you so much!!’ the two-time Oscar-nominated actor, 68, gushed in the caption.
Unfortunately, this is the third birthday Ben has to celebrate without his late mother, actress Kelly Preston, who passed away from cancer in July 2020.
Birthday girl: John Travolta, 68, celebrates his son Benjamin’s 12th birthday on Wednesday, Nov. 23, with the help of his daughter Ella, 22; the family is featured in a June post
Ben looks blissful as he seemingly lays on a couch with his little brown dog, who appears to be taking a nap when the photo was taken.
Seemingly following a lead from her father, Ella followed up a few hours later and shared a birthday message to her younger brother, along with a photo of him rocking Peanut.
Congratulations to the sweetest boy I know. I love you!!!’ the actress shared in her post’s caption showing Ben with Peanut pressed to the left side of his face.
Bittersweet: Travolta shared a photo of Ben laying on a couch with his beloved dog Peanut sleeping next to him on his birthday; the post comes just over two years after the death of his mother Kelly Preston
‘Sweetest’: Older sister Ella also shared a similar photo of Ben cradling Peanut when she shared her own birthday post for him on Instagram
Just last month, Ella paid tribute to her beloved mother on her birthday with a video featuring a collage of photos of the family with Preston.
“We love you,” she wrote in the caption of the clip that also featured Haley Reinhart singing a version of the classic song Can’t Help Falling In Love.
She also wrote “Happy Birthday Mom” in the video, along with a white heart emoji.
Preston was just 57 when she passed away in July 2020, two years after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Heartbreaking tribute: Last month, Ella celebrated her late mother’s birthday with an Oct. 13 video post featuring a collage of photos of the family posing with Preston
Sincere: The family regularly shares photos of Preston as they mark milestones, such as birthdays, since her passing from breast cancer in July 2020
Announcing the tragic news on Instagram at the time, Travolta revealed that his wife had “fought a brave battle with the love and support of so many.”
The Pulp Fiction star also shared how “Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered,” in the emotional post.
Travolta and Preston also faced tragedy together when their oldest son Jett died at age 16 while on a Christmas vacation in the Bahamas in 2009. A Bahamian death certificate was issued attributing the cause of death to an assault.
Travolta had suffered from Kawasaki disease since the age of two and would later confirm that Jett was autistic and had a history of seizures.
Travolta and Preston had been married for nearly 29 years at the time of her death.
RIP: Preston was just 57 when she died in July 2020, two years after her breast cancer diagnosis