"You are our best friend and we love you to the moon and back around," shared daughter Ella, honoring her father on the occasion.
For 67-year-old John Travolta, June 20 was rather bittersweet as it was his first Father's Day without his wife, Kelly Preston. She died last July after she was diagnosed with breast cancer two years earlier. She was 57. Travolta and Preston were married for 28 years after they tied the knot in 1991.
Despite his loss, he has learned to appreciate life and is grateful to be a dad, reports PEOPLE. The actor marked the occasion with his two children, Ella, 21, and Benjamin, 10, by sharing a rare but sweet selfie of the trio on Instagram.
"Happy Father's Day everyone! It is a privilege to be the father of these two beautiful children—thank you for the honor and my love and respect to all fathers," the Grease star captioned the post.
Ella also took to the social media platform to honor her father with a heartfelt message. Alongside a photo of Travolta with his kids, Ella writes, "Daddy, You make parenting look so easy, though it not always is. You make every day better than the one before it. You bring joy to us when we are down. You are our best friend and we love you to the moon and back around."
"I hope to be even half as good of a parent as you someday❤️❤️❤️," she continues the meaningful post. "Happy Father's Day to this incredible man and to all of the amazing Dads out there✨"
This year has been filled with a lot of firsts for the family, as they marked their first Mother's day without Preston. Travolta marked the occasion with two photos of their beautiful family. "Dearest Kelly, you brought into my life three of the most wonderful children I have ever known. Thank you. We love and miss you. Happy Mother's Day," Travolta captioned the photos.
In the first photo, Travolta and Preston pose with their daughter Ella and their then-newborn son Benjamin in their bed, all dressed in white. The second photo shows Preston and Travolta with their son Jett, who died in 2009 after suffering a seizure. He was only 16.
Ella, too, had shared a sweet message to her mother. "Mama, thank you for all you have done for us and for this world. I miss you and love you very much, but your smile, warmth, and love are ever-lasting. Wishing all of the moms a happy Mother’s Day❤️"
References:
https://people.com/parents/john-travolta-first-fathers-day-without-late-wife-kelly-preston/
https://www.instagram.com/johntravolta/
https://www.instagram.com/ella.travolta/
Cover Image Source: (L) Photo by Manny Carabel/Getty Images / (R) Instagram/ @johntravolta
