John Travolta honours ‘dear friend’ Bill Kenwright who worked with his late wife

Hollywood star John Travolta has joined those praising the late Bill Kenwright, speaking publicly of how the Everton manager showed great “kindness” to his late wife Kelly Preston.

Both Bill and Kelly lost their lives to cancer, with the latter dying just three years earlier at the age of 57.

Bill also gave actress Kelly her role in what became her last ever movie.

Remembering their history, the 69-year-old Grease star took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute to his pal with his five million followers.

“In fond memory of producer Bill Kenwright,” he captioned a photo of the star, before adding: “Dear Bill, we will miss you and can’t thank you enough for your kindness to Kelly and myself.”

He signed off with: “We’ll see you down the road, love JT.”

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Kelly, whose birthday would have fallen just days before Bill’s death, had been privately fighting breast cancer for a year before filming began for Bill’s movie Off The Rails.

She was reportedly desperate to star in the film, but warned him she wasn’t healthy enough to qualify for medical insurance – and that the film would likely not receive a “completion bond”, in case she died before it was finished.

However, Bill told the Independent that he was willing to take the risk and go ahead without one.

“I just wanted her to make the film,” he explained, “[and] I suppose a conversation like that bonds you.

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“Nobody else knew [about the cancer], she didn’t tell anyone else. [On set], you would never have known.”

The comedy drama was the perfect light-hearted movie for Kelly, marking her last role before she died.

A “For Kelly” message also plays just before the closing credits, in dedication to her.

Bill spoke warmly of the actress, describing her as a “terrific” performer, and marvelling: “People forget what a good actress she [was].”

Meanwhile, he’d also worked with John, who took on the role of an obsessive stalker in 2019 thriller The Fanatic, which Bill had co-produced together with Daniel Grodnik and Oscar Generale.

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John is also set to be seen in Disney+ movie The Shepherd – the last ever production credit Bill would score before his death.

The Grease star is just one of many celebrities who have spoken out in honour of Bill, who first began his career as an actor, taking on the role of Coronation Street’s Gordon Clegg on the cobbles in the late 1960s.

Bill was also well-known for his production credits in the West End and on New York’s Broadway, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Blood Brothers, which ran for almost a quarter of a century.

He first joined the Everton board in 1989, later investing in it financially and then taking up the position of chairman in 2004.

Celebrities from Linda Nolan and Ian McKellen, to Wayne Rooney and Jamie Carragher have all paid tribute to him publicly, demonstrating how well loved the producer was across the genres of film, TV and sport.

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