John Travolta is once again in mourning — this time after losing his nephew, Sam Travolta Jr., who passed away back in September.
Details are limited about Sam’s death, and it’s unclear what caused his passing. What we do know is the screenwriter passed away back on September 23 at his home in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, according to an obituary posted online. He was just 52 years old.
The family loss comes just weeks after the 65-year-old movie star lost his 57-year-old wife Kelly Preston. As you’ll recall, Preston tragically succumbed to a long battle with cancer back in July.
Related: John And His Daughter Share A Dance In Honor Of Kelly
Sam was born in Englewood, New Jersey — just like his famous uncle — the son of the movie star’s oldest brother, Sam Travolta Sr.
An old school friend of Sam’s, Nick Mavrostomos, spoke to The Sun about his friend, saying (below):
“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. 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 was happy go lucky and a good friend, good-spirited.”
So sad…
Sam had previously publicly spoken about his relationship to John, too.
At one point in a 2015 interview with the National Enquirer, the nephew Travolta claimed his A-list uncle helped keep him afloat with an $1,800 monthly allowance while he worked out the beginnings of what he hoped would be a screenwriting career:
“I’m a struggling screenwriter living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment, so John’s money helps.”
Even more interesting, especially as the Grease star’s life is concerned, was Sam’s longtime experience within the Church of Scientology, and his eventual struggle to get out for good.
In the mid-2000s, after nearly 30 years with the church, Sam left the church forever following a failed suicide attempt and a 28-day stay in a mental health facility.
In an interview from the time about his departure from Scientology, Sam recalled:
“Scientology almost killed me. It’s psychological warfare and after a while, it gets to you. Things got so bad that I tried to jump off a bridge in Los Angeles in 2007, trying to kill myself.”
Wow… scary.
In recent days former Church members have suggested John will leave Scientology in the wake of Kelly’s passing. We can only wonder how this affects that possibility.
The famed Travolta has not spoken publicly about his nephew’s passing. Just last week, he shared an old photo of himself and Preston from their wedding day to celebrate what would have been his late wife’s 58th birthday.
Our thoughts are with the entire Travolta family as they endure another sad and tragic passing to further mark what’s been a very difficult, sad year.
R.I.P. Sam.
[Image via Brian To/WENN.]
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