John Travolta Shows Rare Picture Of Youngest Son Ben On His 10th Birthday

Nov 25, 2020 by apost team

John Travolta recently shared a touching photo of him and his young son Ben to his Instagram page, as the youngster celebrated his 10th birthday. Rarely posting father-son photos, the warm image is especially bittersweet as it marks the first birthday the young boy celebrated without his mom and Travolta's wife, late actress Kelly Preston.

Sharing the photo to his Instagram page on Benjamin's birthday, November 23, the picture appears to have been taken spontaneously, as John Travolta hugs his son Ben from behind. The actor is sporting his now-famous shaved head and a long black shirt, while Ben's blond hair is parted to the side as he wears a red tank top. Both of them have huge smiles on their faces, with the love between them evident. Travolta captioned the post:

"Happy 10th birthday my wonderful Ben! I love you!"

Fans were quick to comment on the rare image, sharing their own birthday wishes to the youngster. 

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Benjamin is John Travolta's youngest child with his late wife, Kelly Preston. The couple had welcomed three children in total—10-year-old Benjamin, 20-year-old daughter Ella Bleu, and tragically, a son named Jett who passed away in 2009 aged 16. While the family was away on vacation, Jett had a seizure and hit his head on the bathtub, and sadly passed away not long after.

While the family was grieving Jett's death, the couple had Ben, which they later described as bringing them closer together. Travolta told Good Morning America in a 2016 interview:

"We certainly have bonded together. And certainly, having little Ben has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to re-bond after tremendous loss."

Unfortunately, it would be just over one decade before they'd lose the matriarch of their family to cancer. Preston passed away in July of this year following a two year "courageous fight" against breast cancer, which she kept away from the public. Travolta announced her death on Instagram, writing:

"It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many. My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side. Kelly's love and life will always be remembered."

He went on to say that he'd be taking time off to be with his family as they mourned Kelly's passing:

"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. But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal. All my love, JT"

Since then, Travolta has limited his posts on Instagram, but it's often in honor of his family when he does post. In August, he shared a video of him dancing with his daughter Ella in honor of Kelly. He explained why they were dancing in the video, writing:

"My daughter @ella.travolta and I dancing in memory of momma. One of Kelly's favorite things, dancing with me." 

Then on Kelly's birthday on October 13, he posted a photo of him and her on their wedding day alongside his parents at their own wedding. He captioned the moving post with words directed to Kelly:

"Happy Birthday hon! I found this photo of my mom and dad's wedding. It was nice to see ours alongside theirs. All my love, John."

Ella, who is active on her own Instagram, has also honored her mom since her untimely death. Accompanying a beautiful photo of Kelly, Ella wrote:

"I have never met anyone as courageous, strong, beautiful and loving as you. Anyone who is lucky enough to have known you or to have ever been in your presence will agree that you have a glow and a light that never ceases to shine and that makes anyone around you feel instantly happy. Thank you for being there for me no matter what. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your help and thank you for making this world a better place. You have made life so beautiful and I know you will continue to do so always. I love you so much mama."

It's undoubtedly been incredibly hard for the entire family, this year especially, but it's lovely to see them all continue to honor Kelly's memory in such beautiful ways.

What do you think of John Travolta's sweet father-son photo to celebrate his son Ben's 10th birthday? Tell us in the comments, then be sure to pass this on to those you know.