Actress Kelly Preston Dies At 57

At age 57, Kelly Preston has died. The Hollywood actress passed away yesterday after a two-year struggle with breast cancer that she and her family had decided to keep away from the headlines. Preston had been receiving cancer treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas at the time.

"Choosing to keep her fight private, [Kelly] had been undergoing medical treatment for some time, supported by her closest family and friends," a family representative told People of Preston's passing. "She was a bright, beautiful and loving soul who cared deeply about others and who brought life to everything she touched. Her family asks for your understanding of their need for privacy at this time."

"[Kelly] fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many," her husband John Travolta captioned a picture of her on Instagram early this morning. "My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side. Kelly's love and life will always be remembered."

Preston and Travolta made up one of Hollywood's most famous couples. After brief romantic relationships with George Clooney and Charlie Sheen, the actress exchanged vows with the Pulp Fiction star in a 1991 Parisian ceremony. Preston and Travolta went on to have three children — Jett, Ella, and Benjamin.

In 2009, their son Jett died from a seizure while the family was vacationing in the Bahamas, and the circumstances of his death was the unfortunately subject of a criminal investigation tied to a multimillion-dollar extortion plot; two men close to the family threatened to release the personal details of Jett's health to the public if the celebrities refused to pay them millions of dollars. The resulting court case ended after two trials when the couple ultimately chose to drop the charges against the defendants.

Fans of the late actress know her from a number of noteworthy Hollywood projects throughout the years. Preston got her start in the 1980s; her casting in films like Mischief, Space Camp, and Twins (alongside Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger) put her on the map as a face to know in the industry. The Honolulu native would follow up those roles with memorable parts in Jerry Maguire, For the Love of the Game, What a Girl Wants, The Cat in the Hat, and the underrated superhero flick Sky High. Her very last role was across from Travolta in the biographical crime drama Gotti, based on the true story of legendary New York City mob boss John Gotti.