John Travolta Wishes Late Wife Kelly Preston Happy Birthday: 'We Miss and Love You Very Much'

John Travolta shared a birthday message for his late wife Kelly Preston, who died of breast cancer in 2020 at age 57

Photo: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images

John Travolta is keeping his late wife's memory alive.

The Pulp Fiction star, 67, honored Kelly Preston on what would have been her 59th birthday Wednesday by posting a photo of the actress on Instagram. In the picture, Preston smiles and waves while photographers snap photos behind her.

"Happy Birthday Kelly. We miss and love you very much," Travolta captioned his post.

Preston died in July 2020 at age 57 after a two-year battle with breast cancer. She and her family kept her diagnosis private, but a source told PEOPLE at the time of her death that Preston "had been undergoing medical treatment for some time."

Travolta and Preston shared three children: Ella, 21, Benjamin, 10, and their late son Jett, who died at age 16 in 2009. After the news of her passing broke last summer, Travolta mourned Preston's death on Instagram, writing, "Kelly's love and life will always be remembered."

Since then, the actor has shared frequent posts featuring his late wife, including his first Mother's Day tribute without her in May.

"Dearest Kelly, you brought into my life three of the most wonderful children I have ever known. Thank you," he wrote on Instagram. "We love and miss you. Happy Mother's Day."

John Travolta and Kelly Preston. Lester Cohen/WireImage

Travolta opened up about grieving in an April interview with Esquire Mexico, calling the mourning process "very personal."

"Grief is personal and finding your own path is what could lead to healing. It's different than someone else's journey," he said. "The most important thing you can do to help people going through grief is allow them the space to live it and not complicate their journey with your own."

In an August appearance on Kevin Hart's Peacock talk show series Hart to Heart, Travolta revealed a candid discussion he had with Ben about death after his son said he was afraid Travolta would die after his mother did.

"I said, 'Well, it's a very different thing.' And I went through the differences about my longevity and her limited life," Travolta told Hart. "I said, 'But you know, Ben … you always love the truth and I'm going to tell you the truth about life. Nobody knows when they're gonna go or when they're going to stay.' "

He added, "Your brother [Jett] 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," he added. "So let's look at it like it's part of life. You don't know exactly. You just do your best at trying to live the longest you can."