Kelly Preston, actress and John Travolta’s wife, has died at 57

Actress Kelly Preston, whose credits included the films “Twins” and “Jerry Maguire,” died Sunday, her husband John Travolta said. She was 57.

Travolta confirmed his wife’s death in an Instagram post late Sunday. He said she died after a two-year battle with breast cancer.

“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 said of his wife of 28 years. “She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

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. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many. 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, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side. Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered. 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. All my love, JT

A post shared by John Travolta (@johntravolta) on Jul 12, 2020 at 10:20pm PDT

“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, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side,” he continued. “Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered. 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. All my love, JT.”

Preston had a lengthy career on film and television and at times appearing in films with her husband. They had three children together.

Preston and Travolta were married at a midnight ceremony in Paris in 1991 while the couple were expecting their first son, Jett.

In January 2009, Jett Travolta, 16, died after a seizure at the family’s vacation home in the Bahamas. The death touched off a court case after an ambulance driver and his attorney were accused of trying to extort $25 million from the actors by threatening to release sensitive information about their son’s death.

Travolta testified during a criminal trial that ended in a mistrial and was prepared to testify a second time, but decided to stop pursuing the case. He cited the severe strain the case and his son’s death had caused the family.

Both Preston and Travolta returned to acting, with Preston’s first role back in the Nicholas Sparks adaptation, “The Last Song,” which starred Miley Cyrus and her future husband, Liam Hemsworth.

They had two other children, daughter Ella Bleu in 2000 and son Benjamin in 2010.

Travolta and Preston met while filming 1988′s “The Experts.”

They last starred together in the 2018 film “Gotti,” with Travolta playing John Gotti and Preston playing the crime boss’s wife, Victoria.

Preston’s death was first reported by People magazine.

Stars quickly took to social media to pay tribute to Preston and express their condolences to her family, ETOnline reported.

“💔💔💔💔💔 love you so,” Sarah Paulson commented on Travolta’s Instagram.

“I’m in absolute shock,” Josh Gad wrote on Twitter.” 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 #KellyPreston.”

“A beautiful lady. Inside and out. A crushing loss. Rest In Peace, Kelly Preston,” Holly Robinson Peete wrote.

First published on July 13, 2020 / 2:43 AM

© 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.