John Travolta remembers late son Jett with heartfelt birthday message: “I miss you so much”

Actor John Travolta recently shared an emotional message in memory of his late son, Jett, on what would have been his 33rd birthday. Taking to Instagram, the 71-year-old star posted a throwback photo of himself holding young Jett, who was playfully tugging at his father’s ear. In the caption, Travolta expressed his deep love and longing for his son, writing, “Happy birthday Jett – I miss you so much. Love you forever!”
Jett Travolta passed away at the age of 16 in January 2009 while the family was on vacation in the Bahamas. He had a seizure and tragically hit his head on the bathtub in their vacation home. Jett was the eldest of three children John shared with his late wife, actress Kelly Preston. Their other two children are daughter Ella Bleu, now 25, and son Benjamin, 14.
Kelly Preston passed away in July 2020 at the age of 57 after a private battle with breast cancer. The loss of both his wife and son left a deep impact on Travolta. In 2014, while speaking at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, he said that losing Jett was the hardest thing he had ever been through. According to a BBC report at the time, Travolta admitted that life had lost its meaning for him after Jett’s death and that it took immense strength and time for him to heal.
Travolta once shared with PEOPLE magazine in 1994 just how much becoming a father meant to him. He recalled the moment Jett was born, saying he held him in his arms for hours while Kelly slept. When medical staff came to take the baby for routine tests, he was so protective that he refused to let them take him. "You'll have to do it another day," he told them.
Recently, Travolta also paid tribute to actor Gene Hackman following the news of Hackman’s death at age 95. Posting a behind-the-scenes photo from their 1995 film Get Shorty, Travolta said he would miss his “brilliant” and funny co-star.
Travolta’s birthday message to Jett shows that, even years after his son’s passing, the love and memories remain as strong as ever.