Kelly Preston's Final Movie Role Was With Travolta

Ella Bleu Travolta has shared a poignant tribute to mother Kelly Preston, who died on Sunday after a two-year battle with breast cancer. "I have never met anyone as courageous, strong, beautiful, and loving as you," the 20-year-old said in an Instagram post. "Anyone who is lucky enough to have known you or to have ever been in your presence will agree that you have a glow and a light that never ceases to shine and that makes anyone around you feel instantly happy." She thanked Preston for making the world a better place, adding, "You have made life so beautiful and I know you will continue to do so always. I love you so much mama." More:

• She was "in awe" of her daughter. Preston, who is also survived by husband John Travolta and son Benjamin, 9, said she was "in absolute awe" of her daughter after Ella appeared in The Poison Rose with her father last year, Fox reports. "I am beyond proud of her and all of her accomplishments, but most of all I am proud and honored to have her as my daughter," she said.

• A 29-year love story. ET looks at the "29-year love story" between Preston and John Travolta, who first met on the set of The Experts in 1987. They "eloped to Paris" to get married in 1991, and had a second wedding in the US a week later.
• The romance in photos. People looks back at the Preston/Travolta romance in photos, from their early days together to their 28th wedding anniversary last fall.
• How they dealt with tragedy. People also looks at how Preston and Travolta dealt with the tragic death of 16-year-old son Jett, who died after a seizure in 2009.
• Her life in movies. Variety looks back at the 57-year-old's film career, which started with a role in 1985 rom-com Mischief, after she changed her name from Kelly Kamalelehua Smith. (She was born in Hawaii.) Her final role was alongside Travolta in 2018's Gotti. Travolta played notorious mobster John Gotti and she played his wife, Victoria Gotti.
• The man who lost her to Travolta. Newsweek notes that when she first met Travolta, Preston was married to SpaceCamp co-star Kevin Gage. Asked years later if it had been love at first sight with Travolta, Preston said: "Kinda. Well, I was not that happily married, let's put it that way. I was really with the wrong person." After divorcing Gage in 1987, Preston also had a relationship with George Clooney. She was also briefly engaged to Charlie Sheen, but the relationship ended with a mysterious gunshot that another Newsweek story looks at in detail.

(More Kelly Preston stories.)