Tragic Details About Ella Bleu Travolta, John Travolta's Daughter

Being the child of two famous movie stars can lead to a less-than-typical upbringing. And that's definitely an understatement when it comes to Ella Bleu Travolta, daughter of actor John Travolta and actress Kelly Preston. In her young life, Ella Bleu has faced a lot of heartache. She has dealt several times with grief and has suffered multiple losses in her own family.

At 24 years old as of 2024, Ella Bleu has an unbreakable bond with her father. The well-known actor sang his daughter's praises to People in 2019. "She is her own person. She is gracious, generous, poised, graceful, and gorgeous," he said. "I don't know how she came to be, and I don't take any credit other than just adoring her. And maybe that's a valid contribution."

Ella Bleu has followed in her parents' footsteps by trying her hand at acting and singing. She occasionally appears in films and released her first single, "Dizzy," in 2022. That same year, she even entered the fashion world by walking the Karl Lagerfeld runway at New York Fashion Week. Also focusing on music, she released her first EP, "Colors of Love," in 2024. Only time will tell what is next for the Hollywood up-and-comer, but it's hard to find another nepo baby that has been through as much as Ella Bleu has in her childhood years.

Ella Bleu Travolta was born on April 3, 2000, and had an atypical life from the very beginning. Both of Ella Bleu's parents belong to the Church of Scientology and opted for a "silent birth" at their home. The practice of silent birth is popular among the Scientologist community and requires the room to be kept as quiet as possible during labor and delivery. Scientologists believe it is a way to prevent newborns from developing fears after being in a room where a stressful event takes place. And no painkillers, such as epidurals, are allowed.

However, Ella Bleu's birth did not go according to plan. Her mother, Kelly Preston, spoke with Redbook magazine in 2000 and recalled her daughter's delivery (via Chicago Tribune). Preston went into the experience thinking of silent birth as "a peaceful, beautiful entry into this earth." But admitted that after 13 hours of labor, the pain became too much to handle, and she requested an epidural after all.

Ella Bleu experienced more abnormal practices as she was growing up. In an attempt to avoid paparazzi and media attention, her father John Travolta and Preston insisted that the family sleep during the daytime. John even said the family was "living sort of an odd, nocturnal life" in a 2007 interview with Parade (via The Times).

John Travolta and Kelly Preston welcomed their first child, Jett Travolta, eight years before Ella Bleu Travolta was born. Jett was autistic and suffered from Kawasaki Syndrome, a condition that causes damage to the heart and blood vessels, mostly in young children. Tragedy struck in January 2009 during a family vacation in the Bahamas. Jett passed away unexpectedly at the young age of 16 from a seizure and possible head trauma.

Following Jett's death, the Travolta family remained private and kept to themselves as they dealt with their grief. In November 2009, John spoke with USA Today about how the family was trying to reconcile with the tragedy. "We've been working very hard every day as a family to heal," he said. "We have our own way of doing it, and it has been helping."

On what would have been Jett's 29th birthday, Ella Bleu posted a sweet tribute on Instagram to her late older brother in 2021. She uploaded an adorable black and white picture of the two as young children, Ella Bleu as just a baby, sitting together on a wicker chair and talking. She captioned the throwback photo by saying, "I love you Jetty. Happy Birthday."

At the age of nine, Ella Bleu Travolta made her professional big-screen acting debut alongside her father and mother in the movie "Old Dogs." The movie was released in November 2009, less than one year after her brother's untimely death. It was a bittersweet affair as the family celebrated a new accomplishment for Ella Bleu but as a new family of three. The red carpet premiere of "Old Dogs" was one of the first times the Travolta family appeared in public following Jett Travolta's death.

While it was hard to celebrate a movie release after losing their son, Ella Bleu's parents wanted to support her in her first film. "We decided it was okay to come out and promote, to introduce her to the world and to give her a beautiful future in film," her father John Travolta shared (via USA Today). Her mother Kelly Preston said the "outpouring of love from, really, worldwide has been extraordinary. It's been our friends, our family, our church. We partake in spiritual counseling pretty much daily." But still, "It's a tricky thing," she recalled. "Sometimes, something that's right for the moment is not right the next day. Being with people who are important to you, being with people that you love, I think that's what has primarily helped us the most. Sometimes, being alone, too."

With "Old Dogs" being released in theaters, it seemed that Ella Bleu was the next Travolta destined for stardom. She even starred alongside her dad in a music video for the film. But "Old Dogs" didn't turn out to be a box office success. The movie opened in fourth place during its first weekend in theaters. And it was unanimously hated by critics, currently earning only 5 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from a majority of negative reviews.

In 2018, Ella Bleu's parents were attached to the film "The Life and Death of John Gotti," a biopic about the mafioso. At first, Ella Bleu was going to play their daughter in the film. But she decided against starring in the movie alongside her parents. "She decided not to; she's gonna wait to do something different," John Travolta said of his daughter's decision (via People). "She's so smart, she's so confident. She will do it when she feels it's the right time. She did 'Old Dogs' with us, and she was great, but now she wants to come back the way she wants to come back." The time for the father and daughter to reunite on screen came the following year for the movie "The Poison Rose." The two have since appeared together in multiple commercials and frequently make appearances on each other's social media pages.

Ella Bleu Travolta was a young 20-year-old when her mother, Kelly Preston, passed away in 2020 from breast cancer. Preston was only 57 when she passed, and her death came as a shock to the world as the family kept her diagnosis private. She was survived by her husband, John Travolta, their daughter, Ella Bleu, and their son, Benjamin Travolta, who was born in 2010.

Upon Preston's death, Ella Bleu posted a tribute to her mother on Instagram. "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," she said. "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." In September 2024, Ella Bleu released the song "Little Bird," which was heavily inspired by Preston. The music video contains footage from Ella Bleu's childhood, including personal home movies of the young singer with her parents and brothers.