Condolences from celebrities and many others poured in for John Travolta and his two children, following news that Kelly Preston, his wife of 28 years, had died of breast cancer at age 57.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Prestons co-star on the 1988 film Twins, tweeted that she was extraordinary, with talent off the charts. The former California governor also said she had a big heart and was such a wonderful wife and mother.

My heart breaks for John and the kids, Shania Twain tweeted, while Russell Crowe called Preston a sparkly-eyed gem. Piers Morgan praised her and Travolta for having one of the most enduring Hollywood marriages. Morgan also said he was gutted for Travolta.

The overriding message of the RIP tweets conforms to the view that Preston was the beautiful, vivacious and steely anchor at the heart of a celebrity marriage that, yes, by Hollywood standards, was pretty remarkable.

What made the marriage even more remarkable is that it endured pretty daunting challenges: The 2009 death of their 16-year-old son, Jett, from a seizure; ongoing questions about the couples devotion to the Church of Scientology; and the gay rumors and accusations over the years that Travolta sexually harassed or assaulted men working for him.

If all those challenges were not enough, the couple had to weather the very bad movies Travolta made or that they made together, including the box-office bomb Battlefield Earth in 2000 and Gotti, the 2018 John Gotti biopic that was critically panned.

Travolta announced his wifes death via Instagram late Sunday night, saying, 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 also thanked Prestons nurses and doctors at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for her care.

Travolta and Preston met while filming 1988s The Experts. They married in Paris in 1991 and became parents to Jett in 1992, a daughter, Ella Bleu, in 2000 and a son, Benjamin, in 2010. Preston had a lengthy career in movies and TV, including 1980s teen comedies, Jerry Maguire in 1996, and For the Love of the Game in 1999. But she also took some time off from acting over the years to focus on raising her children.

In public, Preston and Travolta always managed to appear affable and seemingly carefree, Daily Beast writer Dana Kennedy said in a 2018 profile of the couple.

Kennedy followed the couples visit to the Cannes Film Festival, where they were promoting Gotti, in which Travolta played the notorious crime family boss and Preston played his long-suffering wife, Victoria.

Some say that much of the couples ability to project the image of a long and happy marriage was due to the inner strength of the outwardly easy-going Preston, Kennedy reported. For one thing, Preston was hard-core in her dedication to Scientology, which helped to anchor Travolta. For that reason, Travolta relied on Prestons stability and was terrified of losing her, former Scientologists said.

Kelly is a much more dedicated Scientologist than John, Mike Rinder, the former top spokesman for the Church of Scientology, told the Daily Beast.

Karen de la Carriere, another former high-ranking Scientology executive, told the Daily Beast that Travolta was a bad boy in his personal behavior, while Preston either didnt hear or chose to ignore his alleged indiscretions. De la Carriere also saidScientology doctrine trains its members to ignore or to discount unpleasant news about themselves or the organization.

Kelly is a true believer, added de la Carrieres husband, Jeffrey Augustine. He also said that Travolta may have a dark side but that the actor loved his family. Because of Preston, hed never leave Scientology, Augustine said.

In 2012 interview for the Lifetime talk show The Conversation, Preston talked openly about how the Scientology process of auditing had helped her, the Business Insider reported.

In Scientology, we have whats called auditing, and that helps you to address things in your life and to strip them away, Preston said. Its a path of spiritual enlightenment. Also, it helps rid the mind of painful experience completely.

Preston credited the people at her church with helping her get through difficult times, while also revealing that she had become focused on staying sober so that she would be a better mother.

Our kids are the center of our universe, Preston said.

At Cannes, Travolta credited Scientology for filling him with the enduring confidence to mount personal challenges and career comebacks, reports said.

I practice Scientology, and we do very simple things to get ourselves in better shape: take care of yourself, get good sleep, be better parents, be productive, be motivated, Travolta told the audience. It sounds simple, but they all contribute to your well-being.

Their daughter, Ella Bleu, has followed her parents into Scientology and has become an up-and-comer in the church, according to The Underground Bunker, a blog run by journalist Tony Ortega, that covers Scientology.

With the loss of Preston, Travolta may be in the place that reportedly terrified him facing life without her. In his Instagram post, the actor wrote: Kellys love and life will always be remembered.

He also said he would take some time to be with his children, who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you dont hear from us for a while. But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal.

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How Kelly Preston anchored John Travolta through tragedy, controversy and bad movies - The Mercury News