John Travolta's nephew Sam Travolta Jr. has died aged 52 just months after the actor's wife Kelly Preston passed away from cancer.
Sam Jr. was a screenwriter and the son of John's older brother Sam.
The sad news was confirmed by The Sun who reports that Sam passed away on September 23 at his home in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.
Sam Jr's high school friend Nick Mavrostomos, a chiropractor based in Bedminster, New Jersey, told the publication: "He will be greatly missed, but he will always be with us."
"I found out through high school friends, they reached out to me to let me know," Mavrostomos said.
"We had a great time when we used to hang together in high school. Sam was definitely proud of being related to John Travolta," he said. "He was happy go lucky and a good friend, good-spirited."
Travolta's late wife Kelly Preston passed away in July from breast cancer. She was 57.
Preston is survived by her husband John Travolta and their daughter Ella, 20, and 9-year-old son Benjamin. Their son Jett died at age 16 in January 2009.
The Pulp Fiction actor, 66, announced his wife's passing with a poignant post on Instagram, where he said: "Kelly's love and life will always be remembered."
He added: "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. But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal."
The actor's teenage daughter also shared a heartfelt tribute to her "courageous, strong, beautiful and loving" mother.
"I have never met anyone as courageous, strong, beautiful and loving as you," she wrote.
"Anyone who is lucky enough to have known you or to have ever been in your presence will agree that you have a glow and a light that never ceases to shine and that makes anyone around you feel instantly happy. Thank you for being there for me no matter what."
Last week, Travolta honored Preston on her birthday with a photo from their wedding day alongside a photo of his own parents getting married.
"Happy Birthday hon!" he captioned the Instagram post. "I found this photo of my mom and dad's wedding. It was nice to see ours alongside theirs. All my love, John."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
