Kelly Preston, Actor in ‘Mischief,’ ‘Jerry Maguire,’ Dies at 57
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Kelly Preston, who appeared in films including “Mischief,” “Twins” and “Jerry Maguire,” has died after a two-year battle with breast cancer. She was 57.
John Travolta, her husband of 29 years, confirmed her death on his Instagram account.
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“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 wrote. “She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many. …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. All my love, JT.”
Her daughter Ella also posted a tribute on Instagram, writing “I have never met anyone as courageous, strong, beautiful and loving as you. 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. Thank you for being there for me no matter what. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your help and thank you for making this world a better place. You have made life so beautiful and I know you will continue to do so always. I love you so much mama.”
A post shared by Ella Travolta (@ella.travolta) on Jul 12, 2020 at 10:38pm PDT
Born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, she changed her name to Kelly Preston before securing her first film role in the 1985 rom com “Mischief.”
She appeared in another teen comedy, “Secret Admirer,” before acting in “SpaceCamp” and then “Twins” with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito.
In “Jerry Maguire,” she played Tom Cruise’s fiancee Avery Bishop, then co-starred opposite Kevin Costner in “For Love of the Game.”
Other roles during the 1990s included “Holy Man” with Eddie Murphy and Jeff Goldblum, “Nothing to Lose” with Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence and “Jack Frost.”
Travolta’s passion project was the L. Ron Hubbard adaptation “Battlefield Earth,” which he co-produced and starred in along with Preston. The film lost millions and was universally panned.
Travolta and Preston met on the set of the 1987 movie “The Experts.” The duo would later marry in Paris in 1991. Preston has said in interviews that she had a premonition when she saw the poster for “Grease” at age 16 that she would marry Travolta.
In the 2000s, Preston appeared on TV in “Medium” and “Fat Actress” and in films including “What a Girl Wants,” “Sky High” and “Casino Jack.”
Her final film role was as mobster’s wife Victoria Gotti alongside Travolta as John Gotti in “Gotti.”
The actress and philanthropist is survived by her husband and two children. Her son Jett died in 2009.
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