10+ Facts About Kelly Preston Fans Didn’t Know

Kelly Preston may be gone, but she’s never forgotten.

The actress is most known for her roles in Jerry McGuire , For The Love of the Game , and The Cat in the Hat . She was also John Travolta’s wife of 29 years.

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A talented and captivating performer, Kelly Preston was in spotlight for various reasons like her excellent work, her involvement in charitable institutions, as well as the tragic death of her son.

To help keep her beautiful memory alive, here are 10+ facts fans didn’t know.

1. She was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.

She was born on October 13, 1962, as Kelly Kamalelehua Smith.

Her middle name is “Kamalelehua, which means “garden of lehuas” in Hawaiian). The actress really enjoyed growing up in paradise.

“There was a cross section of people and everybody was very tolerant of all different types of people,” she told Phase9 Entertainment.

“I was friendly with everybody, which was great. We moved to Australia for two years though and that was a little bit tough trying to fit in,” she said .

2. Preston was discovered at age 16.

Her career started early after a fashion photographer spotted her on the streets of Hawaii.

They helped her book a lot of commercial gigs until she landed her first role on Hawaii Five-O” in 1980.

3. She was in the Maroon 5 music video “She Will Be Loved”.

She played the mother of Adam’s girlfriend and his love interest.

While on The Howard Stern Show , Levine said how much he enjoyed working with the late actress.

He even revealed how she taught him how to kiss for the camera.

“Right as we do it, I just kiss her, kiss her. I didn’t know what a movie kiss was. I wouldn’t say I jammed my tongue down her throat, but I would say I gave her a real French kiss,” Levine said.

4. She met John on the set of the 1989 film, *The Experts*.

Preston was married to actor Kevin Gage at the time, but that didn’t stop their love.

They got together after her divorce and soon got engaged in 1991 in Switzerland.

5. She and John’s son, Jett, tragically died in 2009.

Jett had Kawasaki disease, autism, as well as a history of seizures.

He tragically passed away from a seizure on January 2, 2009, when the family was on vacation in the Bahamas.

While they grieved privately, the family understandably took Jett’s death very hard.

In 2019, Preston shared a rare photograph of her son .

“I send love to all of the beautiful autistic children and the wonderful people who love them. To my sweet love, Jett… you are in our hearts forever,” Preston lovingly wrote in the caption.

6. She kept her cancer battle private.

The star passed away on July 12, 2020.

“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,” Travolta shared on Instagram.

Her death came as a shock to the world.

“Choosing to keep her fight private, she had been undergoing medical treatment for some time, supported by her closest family and friends,” the representative told People .

8. She and John eloped.

They initially planned on getting married in New York, but soon changed their minds once things got out of hand, Preston told Live With Kelly and Ryan .

“The wedding got so big and so crazy.”

“And I thought once the florist’s assistant got an assistant, I was done.”

They got married in Paris, but soon had to have a second ceremony in Daytona Beach, Florida since their Paris French nuptials weren’t legally binding.

9. She and John had three kids.

Kelly was two months pregnant with their son, Jett, when they got married.

Then, they had their daughter, Ella Bleu, in 2000, followed by their son Benjamin in 2011.

10. She’s had a few famous boyfriends.

John wasn’t the only celeb she’s dated . She was actually married to Kevin Gage for two years and was briefly engaged to Charlie Sheen.

She even dated George Clooney for a while.

11. She’s not related to Elvis Presley.

Some people get this confused since their last names are so similar. Kelly changed her name to Preston once her career started getting traction.

In the early days of her carer, she went by Kelly Palzis, which was her stepfather’s last name.

12. She had a silent birth with her son, Benjamin.

She did this as part of her Scientologist religion, which believes that a silent birth can positively impact children later in life.

She spoke to America’s Today Show about what this entailed.

“It’s just no words as much as possible. If you need to moan, if you cry out or all of that, of course, is normal,” she said.

“But just bringing them in as peaceful and gentle a way as possible.”

13. Her and John’s daughter, Ella Bleu, has followed in her parents footsteps.

She starred in The Poison Rose , alongside her famous father and Morgan Freeman.

When she did, Kelly took to social media to praise the budding star.

“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,” Preston wrote on social media while promoting Ella’s film.

“I love you and congratulations.”