It’s the celebrity memoir that mysteriously vanished before reaching bookshops. Now, 22 years after John Travolta signed a $6.8 million deal to pen his autobiography, the Hollywood star is reportedly once again shopping the story of his life.
“It’s always bothered John that his book was never published,” a source tells Woman’s Day.
“It feels like unfinished business for him.”
But having seen stars such as Michael Douglas and Sylvester Stallone recently release their own tell-alls, John, 72, now reportedly feels like the time is right for him to produce his own “bombshell read”.
Lifting the lid
“John has lived an extraordinary life and there’s so much he’s never shared. He’s at an age where he wants to tell his story properly – the good, the bad and everything in between,” explains the insider.
The book will cover John’s love story with wife Kelly and the heartbreak of losing their son Jett and Kelly’s death in 2020.
He’ll also write about his friendship with Olivia Newton-John, his early years in Hollywood and his “frenemy” relationship with Tom Cruise!
But this isn’t the first time John’s promised to lift the lid on his extraordinary life. Back in 2004, the memoir he sold to Hyperion, an imprint then owned by the Walt Disney Company, promised to “surprise, move and entertain readers on every page”, with stories about his “many notable friendships”, including Marlon Brando and Princess Diana.
John revealed in a statement at the time, “I’ve hit a milestone this year in my life, turning 50, and if I waited any longer I’d have to write two books.”
The 384-page hardcover was even assigned an ISBN and listed on databases with a northern hemisphere autumn 2006 publication date.
However, the book never saw the light of day. It’s not known whether John tired of the project, was too busy, or if the secrets he wanted to spill were too contentious to publish, but now watching other stars reveal the darkest sides of their pasts, John is ready to give it another go, says the insider.
“He wants to lay it all out there, warts and all.”
Losses and celebration
Two decades ago, John didn’t know the heartbreak that was ahead of him and is now ready to look back on his losses and also celebrate his other children, Ella Bleu and Benjamin, and put his story on the record for their sake.
“John feels so much more comfortable lifting the lid on his past, and the same goes for his private life. He wants to clear up old rumours and face things head-on. He’s got so much material for this book, trying to decide what to leave out is going to be the hardest part.”
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