John Travolta has opened up about the candid conversation he had with his 10-year-old son Ben following the death of his wife, Kelly Preston, last year.
During an episode of comedian Kevin Hart’s Hart to Heart series (via NBC News), Travolta spoke about losing Preston, who died of breast cancer at the age of 57.
Travolta revealed that after Preston passed away, Ben told him that he was scared that he would also die, so the actor explained that he and Preston were in different situations.
“‘Ben, you always love the truth and I’m going to tell you the truth about life,’” Travolta recalled.
“‘Nobody knows when they’re going to go, when they’re gonna stay.”
The conversation also touched on Travolta’s other son Jett, who tragically passed away after suffering a seizure in 2009.
“Your brother left at 16, too young. Your mother left at 57, that was too young, but who’s to say? I could die tomorrow. You could. Anybody can. It’s part of life. You don’t know exactly. You just do your best at trying to live the longest you can,” he said.
Travolta continued on to reveal that Ben asked him what it felt like to be in his 60s.
“My son has always wanted truth, and he’s only accepting truth so I said, ‘You know what, Ben? I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m in the last chapter of my life. I can’t believe it,’” he said.
“‘I’m like, eternally 21, I don’t understand being in my 60s.’”
Ben then went on to ask if Travolta remembered what life was like thirty years ago.
When he said that he did not indeed remember, Ben replied: “Just 30 years ago seemed like a long time. Don’t you think you have 30 more years in your life to live?”
Travolta explained that the conversation changed his outlook on life, saying: “I realised that it’s about viewpoint in life that allows you to settle down about something. There ain’t nothing wrong with 30 years. But yet, before he said that, I was thinking that, ‘Oh this is my last? How sad.’”
When asked what he wants to happen in the next 30 years of his life, Travolta concluded that he’s most looking forward to seeing the success of his children, Ben and 21-year-old Ella.
“I want to leave this world with them doing great, and they already are,” he said.
“That’s my main thing, is to pay it forward to them.”
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Check out John Travolta with his son Ben, with who he had an honest conversation about death:
