It’s no secret that John Travolta has had a lot of heartache. He has lost both a beloved son and the love of his life, and he has done it all with the eyes of the world on him. However, the ‘Grease’ star has remained exceptionally and resolutely positive. As Travolta confirmed in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica in June 2026, it is a choice he actively makes every day. The Oscar nominee acknowledged, “Life has definitely tested me” (via People). There’s no doubt about that; Jett Travolta, the late son of John Travolta was just 16 when he suffered a fatal seizure during a family trip to the Bahamas, and although he and wife Kelly Preston were blessed with another baby boy a few years later, she died of breast cancer in 2020. The ‘Pulp Fiction’ star has also lost some of his closest friends, most notably Olivia Newton-John, Kirstie Alley and Lisa Marie Presley.
Yet, “I was not created to remain engulfed in darkness. I can look into the darkness, but I do not choose to die in that darkness.” Travolta was promoting his directorial debut, “Propeller One-Way Night Coach,” a retelling of the first flight he ever took and the prolific actor’s excitement about it, and life in general. That’s something he’s talked about in particular “Today” and he also notes about the character, who is based on a young version of himself: “No matter what happens, he looks at the glass half full and not half empty.” So too ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ the “Face/Off” star explained, “He’s resilient and hopeful, and all he looks at is a glass half full.” After so many heartbreaking losses, that is clearly still the case.
John Travolta’s Instagram account highlights his positivity
John Travolta may have endured several major tragedies, but he has also experienced great joy, and the actor regularly shares fond memories of that time, in addition to his gratitude for everything, on Instagram. In a post about the success of “Propeller One-Way Night Coach,” he sincerely thanked his fans. “I want to thank all of you, in all the countries around the world, for your support (…) and it’s really thanks to you that it’s at number one, so thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you very much,” the Oscar nominee smiled.
Travolta also shared his appreciation for his fans in a touching Christmas message posted in 2025. “Not a day goes by where I don’t appreciate you giving me the life you gave me,” he noted. Of course, the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ star has also hinted at some of his heartaches on social media, regularly sharing old photos of his wife, son and deceased friends. “My dearest Jetty, I miss you more than words can say. I think of you every day,” he said admitted in such devastating tribute to his late son.
“Dearest Kelly, you brought three of the most beautiful children I have ever known into my life. Thank you. We love and miss you,” Travolta wrote in honor of the first Mother’s Day since Kelly Preston’s death. Yet the prolific actor always maintains that spark of faith that everything will work out in the end. In Travolta’s emotional tribute to Olivia Newton-JohnHe written“We’ll see you on the way and we’ll all be together again.” He shared the same sentiments in his tribute to Kirstie Alley And Lisa Marie Presley. We send him love right back.
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