John Travolta’s son Benjamin just reached a major milestone. On Monday, the youngster reached double digits, with the actor taking to social media to help celebrate the occasion and help his son ring in his 10th birthday.
In an Instagram post, the Grease alum shared a rare photo of his son. The picture showed Ben, now 10, sitting on the actor’s lap, with Travolta writing: “Happy 10th birthday my wonderful Ben! I love you!” His fellow celebrities were quick to chime in with celebratory messages, with Tommy Lee writing, “Happy Bday Big Ben!!!!!!” The actor’s 20-year-old daughter, Ella, also helped with the celebration, sharing a series of heart emojis. She also marked the occasion in her own social media post, in which she called Ben her “best friend” and said that she is “so lucky to have you in my life.”
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Ben’s birthday came four months after his and Ella’s mother, Kelly Preston died. Following a two-year battle with breast cancer, Preston, who starred in a number of movies, including Jerry Maguire and Twins, died at the age of 57 in July. Travolta confirmed his wife’s passing in a heartbreaking social media post, in which he announced “with a very heavy heart” that Preston “lost her two-year battle with breast cancer.” He said that she fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many,” adding that he and his family would be “forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses” who cared for her at MD Anderson Cancer Center. At the time, Travolta had also announced that he would be taking some time off to spend with his children.
“Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered,” Travolta wrote. “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…”
In October, Travolta took to Instagram to mark his late wife’s 58th birthday, sharing a throwback photo from their wedding alongside a photo from his parent’s wedding. Travolta and Preston married in 1991 after meeting on the set of The Experts in 1987. Along with sharing Ella and Ben, they also shared son Jett, who died in 2009 at the age of 16 after suffering a seizure.