Cruise vs. Travolta
You would be forgiven for assuming that Tom Cruise and John Travolta are good friends. In fact, this is not true at all. Despite having mutual friends, being part of the Hollywood scene, and being devoted believers in Scientology, the two are not at all close, by any means.
In Leah Remini’s book entitled, “Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology,” she reveals that Tom Cruise does not like John Travolta or the late Kirstie Alley for that matter. This rumor was confirmed when neither Travolta nor Alley was invited to Tom Cruise’s wedding to Katie Holmes, back in 2006. Oh, what drama.
Dream Co-Pilots
Being passionate about something is a wonderful thing, and we all know Travolta is passionate about planes and flying. He has been lucky enough to be able to share this passion with a good friend, Marlon Brando, with whom he has co-piloted a number of flights before. Travolta had dreams to co-pilot with some of the legends of flying which included Howard Hughes, a genius of his time who was plagued by mental health issues and OCD.
Hughes was brought back to life in the film, "The Aviator" when Leonardo DiCaprio took on the role. His other dream co-pilot would have been Charles Lindbergh who was the first person to fly solo, non-stop all the way over the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, both of these ambitions will remain dreams for John as both Lindbergh and Hughes sadly passed away many years ago.
Kirstie Alley and Travolta
The late Kirstie Alley and John Travolta were great friends. They first met when they starred opposite each other in the hit movie, "Look Who’s Talking," and again in the sequel "Look Who’s Talking Too." They discovered that they shared many interests including Scientology. It took years for Alley to move past her romantic feelings for Travolta.
It’s interesting she felt that way because at the time they met she was married to Parker Stevenson, despite declaring to Barbara Walters that he was “the love of my life.” Kirstie remained faithful to Stevenson, and she and Travolta remained the best of friends.
After Tragedy
Life in the Travolta home was pretty plain sailing, and relatively normal, as normal as life can be when your dad is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. This was until their lives were wrecked by the tragic death of Jett Travolta who died at just 16 years old after suffering a seizure. Jett had a younger sister who was only eight at the time her big brother died in such tragic circumstances
A few days after the accident, the Travoltas released a statement which spoke of Jett. It said, “Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered.” Any parent who loses a child will tell you, it is the hardest pain you will ever have to endure, and you will think about them every day.
Moving On
At times of tragedy, some people prefer to grieve alone, others rely on the love and support of their closest friends and family. This is exactly what the Travoltas decided to do, and they sought strength from the love they had been shown, not just by those closest to them but from their many fans too. The Travoltas said it was this outpouring of love which has helped through this darkest of times.
In a statement on their website, they said, “It is a beautiful reminder of the inherent goodness in the human spirit that gives us hope for a brighter future.” Their lives would never be quite the same again, but the couple decided to move forward with their lives and on November 23, 2010, in Florida, the family welcomed a healthy baby boy weighing in at 8lbs 3 oz and who was named Benjamin.