John Travolta feels forever indebted to his late wife, Kelly Preston, for the nearly three decades of wonderful marriage they shared and the beautiful family they created. The iconic actor paid tribute to his beloved spouse while celebrating the first Mother’s Day since her July 2020 death.

“Dearest Kelly, you brought into my life three of the most wonderful children I have ever known. Thank you,” John, 67, gushed on Sunday, May 9. “We love and miss you. Happy Mother’s Day.”

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Alongside his touching words, the Grease alum shared two photos of himself, Kelly and their three children. John shares 21-year-old Ella, 10-year-old Benjamin and late son Jett with the beloved Jerry Maguire actress, whom he married in 1991.

The couple’s daughter also took to Instagram to share a lovely message for her mother. Ella praised the Twins star for having a “smile, warmth and love [that] is everlasting.”

“Mama, thank you for all you have done for us and for this world,” the young woman penned next to a throwback pic of the mother-daughter duo. “I miss you and love you very much. Wishing all of the moms a happy Mother’s Day.”

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John and Kelly first met on the set of the 1989 comedy The Experts. Though it took a little while before the two became romantically linked, the Pulp Fiction star recalled practically falling in love with Kelly at first sight. “She came in this, this gorgeous woman. We had immediate chemistry,” he told Us Weekly in 2018.

After finally deciding to give their relationship a shot, John and Kelly wed in 1991, and one year later, they welcomed their first child, Jett, in 1992. Daughter Ella came along nearly a decade later in 2000, but the couple’s eldest child tragically died after suffering a seizure on vacation in 2009. Their youngest son, Ben, arrived the following year in 2010.

John experienced a second heartbreak when his wife of 29 years died in July 2020. The Golden Globe winner announced his wife’s shocking death at age 57 on Instagram at the time, revealing her private battle with breast cancer.

“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,” he wrote alongside a throwback photo of his stunning spouse. “She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many. 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.”

Following his wife’s death, John said he was “taking some time to be there” for his kids. “Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered,” he sweetly continued. “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.”