Kelly Preston’s Cause of Death Revealed

Actress Kelly Preston died Sunday at 57 years old, her husband of nearly 30 years, John Travolta, announced late Sunday night in a heartbreaking social media post. Travolta confirmed that Preston’s cause of death was breast cancer, which she battled for two years.

“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,” Travolta wrote, adding that Preston “fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many.” The 66-year-old went on to thank Preston’s doctors and nurses who cared for her at MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered,” he 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 well.”

Preston is survived by Travolta, to whom she was married for 29 years, and two of their children: daughter Ella, 20, and son Benjamin, 9. The couple lost their son Jett in 2009 at the age of 16.

A family representative confirmed the news to PEOPLE, saying that Preston chose to “keep her fight private” and was “supported by her closest family and friends … She was a bright, beautiful and loving soul who cared deeply about others and who brought life to everything she touched. Her family asks you for your understanding of their need for privacy at this time.”

Preston, who was born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith on Oct. 13, 1962, in Honolulu, Hawaii, studied acting at the University of Southern California and launched her career in 1985 with her first major movie role in Mischief after several minor roles in television, including For Love and Honor. Over the next few years, she starred in films like SpaceCamp (1986), Twins (1988), Jerry Maguire (1996) and For Love of the Game (1999). Preston’s final role was in the 2018 film Gotti in which she portrayed Victoria Gotti, the wife of mafia boss John Gotta, who was portrayed by Travolta.

Travolta and Preston were married for nearly 30 years, starting when Travolta proposed on New Year’s Eve in 1990. When they got married on Sept. 15, 1991, Preston was two months pregnant with their son Jett. He was born in April 1992, with daughter Ella coming in April 2000. Following Jett’s tragic death in 2006, Ben was born in November 2010 after Preston and Travolta tried for three years to conceive.