John Travolta delighted fans with a heartwarming video of his 14-year-old son, Benjamin, showcasing a striking family resemblance.
Travolta, who is now raising his children Benjamin and 25-year-old Ella on his own, has been navigating parenthood solo since the passing of his wife, Kelly Preston, who died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 57.
This week, the 71-year-old actor, best known for his iconic role in “Grease,” shared a charming Instagram video capturing a special moment with Benjamin as they embarked on a snowy mountain adventure in Norway.
In the video, Benjamin is seen making his way up to a vantage point, where he takes in the stunning views of the Scandinavian scenery.
Travolta captioned the touching video, “Ain’t no mountain high enough for my son Ben. Love from Norway,” while featuring the classic tune “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.
The post sparked a wave of supportive comments from fans, with Ella joining in by posting a raised hands emoji and a heart eyes emoji to express her affection.
John Travolta proudly shared a video of his 14-year-old son Benjamin in which the family resemblance was touchingly uncanny
Travolta is now parenting his children Benjamin and Ella, 25, alone after their mother Kelly Preston died of cancer in 2020 at the age of just 57
Travolta and Preston were married in 1991 and shared three children, Ella and Benjamin as well as Jett, who died tragically aged 16 in 2009.
Jett, who had a history of seizures, suffered one during a family vacation to the Bahamas and hit his head on the bathtub on January 2, 2009, resulting in his death.
This April, Travolta marked what would have been his older son’s 33rd birthday on Instagram, writing: ‘Happy birthday Jett – I miss you so much! Love you forever!’
The family was struck by bereavement yet again when Preston died in July 2020, two years after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Travolta heartbrokenly announced her death and thanked her medical team, writing: ‘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.’
The post ignited rumors that Travolta and Preston had drifted away from Scientology, whose founder L Ron Hubbard was against chemotherapy and radiation.
However the Church of Scientology’s website does urge believers to ‘seek conventional medical treatment for illnesses and injuries’.
Last month, on what would have been Preston’s 63rd birthday, Travolta posted a photo of her with a recording of himself singing the 1940s love song Come Rain or Come Shine, which has been performed by singers including Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Ray Charles and James Brown.
Benjamin (left) was filmed trekking in Norway by his father, who is pictured (right) playing Danny Zuko in his classic 1978 movie musical Grease also starring Olivia Newton-John
On Mother’s Day 2024, John touchingly posted a picture of Ella and Benjamin with their late mother Kelly Preston, who succumbed to cancer two years after she was diagnosed
‘I recorded this song for Kelly and I want to share it with you all on her birthday. Happy birthday Kelly, we love you. -John, Ella and Ben,’ he wrote.
Travolta spoke candidly about his grieving process in the year following Kelly’s death, in a 2021 profile interview he gave to Esquire Spain.
‘I learned that crying and mourning over someone is something personal. Mourning is individual and experiencing your own journey is what can lead to healing,’ he said.
‘The most important thing you can do to help another when they are in mourning is allow them to live it and not complicate it with yours,’ Travolta observed.
‘Let’s say you lose someone and at the funeral you are very sad, then another person approaches you who is feeling more sadder and doesn’t leave enough space for you to mourn. It would be like two boats plummeting to the bottom. That is my experience,’ the Pulp Fiction star explained.
‘I felt saturated with everyone’s sadness that I didn’t know what to do. The first thing you should do when you experience grief is to go to a place where you can mourn, without any interference,’ he added.
