John Travolta says late wife Kelly Preston did ‘a great job’ as mom in touching tribute

It’s an emotional day for John Travolta and his family.

This Sunday, May 11, Mother’s Day in the US, the Grease actor honored his late wife Kelly Preston, just a few months shy from the 5th anniversary of her passing.

The couple was married from 1991 until the Sky High actress’ death aged 57 after a battle with breast cancer, and in that time, they welcomed son Jett, who died in 2009 aged 16 after suffering from a seizure, daughter Ella Bleu, 25, and son Benjamin, 14.

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In honor of the poignant day, John took to Instagram and shared a photo in which Kelly appears posing in the middle between John and Benjamin, with her arms around them, and Ella is standing behind the three.

“Happy Mother’s Day Kelly! You did a great job!! We love you!” he wrote in his caption, and fans were quick to take to the comments section under the post and remember Kelly.

“Yes she did. She picked the right man and raised such amazing children. Such a beautiful family. Happy heavenly Mother’s Day Kelly,” one endearingly wrote, as others followed suit with: “Happy Heavenly Mother’s Day Kelly,” and: “Beautiful family, happy Mother’s Day,” as well as: “Happy Mother’s Day amazing lady!!! We miss you.”

© Gisela Schober

For last year’s Mother’s Day, Ella also shared a tribute to Kelly, sharing a throwback photo of her as a baby, enjoying a bubble bath with her mom.

“Happy Mother’s Day, mama,” she wrote next to a pink heart emoji, adding: “I love you so much.”

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John himself at the time also posted a round of throwback photos from a bake sale the family previously held, as well as a separate black-and-white portrait of Kelly with Ella and Jett.

In the first of the photos, Kelly, Ella and Ben are pictured holding up their signs for the bake sale, and in the other, Ben is pictured giving a Mother’s Day gift to his mom.

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“Happy Mother’s Day Kelly. We love you we miss you,” he wrote in his caption, and Ella took to the comments section and left behind a string of red heart emojis.

John and his children are based in Clearwater, Florida — a hub for the Church of Scientology — where fellow stars like Lisa Marie Presley, Kirstie Alley, and several family members of Tom Cruise have also lived.