'Sparkly-eyed' actress Kelly Preston dies of breast cancer

"Greece" star John Travolta announced the death of his wife in an Instagram post, saying "my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer."

FILE PHOTO: American actress Kelly Preston poses for a photo shoot at the 71st Cannes Film Festival in France, on May 15, 2018.
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FILE PHOTO: American actress Kelly Preston poses for a photo shoot at the 71st Cannes Film Festival in France, on May 15, 2018.

American actress Kelly Preston who has appeared in films including "Jerry Maguire" and "Twins," has died aged 57 after battling breast cancer for nearly two years, her husband, John Travolta, announced in an Instagram post late on Sunday.

"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," the 66-year-old "Grease" actor said in his post.

"Kelly's love and life will always be remembered. I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don’t hear from us for a while," Travolta wrote.

Born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu on October 13, 1962, she changed her name to Kelly Preston before securing her first film role in the 1985 romcom "Mischief," then appeared in another teen comedy, "Secret Admirer."

In the next few years Preston starred in films such as "SpaceCamp" and then "Twins" with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito.

In "Jerry Maguire," she played Tom Cruise's fiancee Avery Bishop, then co-starred opposite Kevin Costner in "For Love of the Game."

'Sparkly-eyed gem'

Hollywood star Russell Crow described her as a sparkly-eyed gem in his tweet.

"Can’t remember where, but, met first in late ‘92 I think. Such a lovely person. In 1995 we auditioned together for Breaking Up, Salma Hayek got that gig. I havent seen her much, but when I did, she was always the same sparkly eyed gem."

Preston last starred in the 2018 film "Gotti" in which she played Victoria Gotti, the wife of Mafia boss John Gotti, who was portrayed on screen by Travolta.

Travolta, star of the hit dance movies "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease," met Preston in 1988 when they appeared together in a film called "The Experts." They married on September 5, 1991, in Paris.

Preston is survived by her husband and their children — daughter Ella, 20, and 9-year-old son Benjamin. Their son Jett died at age 16 in January 2009 during a family vacation in the Bahamas.

"I have never met anyone as courageous, strong, beautiful and loving as you," her daughter, Ella Bleu Travolta, wrote in a tribute posted on Instagram.

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