Actress Kelly Preston Dead At 57 After Battle With Breast Cancer
Actor Kelly Preston died Sunday after a long battle with cancer, her family announced. She was 57.
“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,” Preston’s husband, actor John Travolta, wrote on Instagram. “She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many.”
A post shared by John Travolta (@johntravolta) on Jul 12, 2020 at 10:20pm PDT
Born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, she changed her name to Kelly Preston before landing her first film role in the 1985 romantic comedy “Mischief,” Reuters reported. Over the next three decades, Preston appeared in dozens of films and television shows, notably “Jerry Maguire,” “Twins” and “For Love of the Game.” She met Travolta in 1987 and they married in Paris four years later.
The couple had three children together. Their son, Jett, died in 2009 at the age of 16.
Preston and Travolta starred on screen in “Battlefield Earth” (2000). Most recently, the couple played husband and wife John and Victoria Gotti in “Gotti,” the 2018 film about the mob boss.
Tributes to the actress began pouring in late Sunday:
Shocked by this sad news. Kelly was such a bright loving soul, a talented actress, and a loving mom and wife. My heart breaks for her family who have already known such sadness and grief. Join me in sending them love and strength. #RIP#KellyPrestonhttps://t.co/DndcfOtlOn
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) July 13, 2020
I’m in absolute shock. What a beautiful and amazing actress and person. So sad to hear of her passing at such a young age. My heart goes out to John Travolta and the entire family. What a loss. RIP #KellyPrestonhttps://t.co/yRqOmI3CjW
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) July 13, 2020