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It’s been almost 50 years since John Travolta’s first love died in his arms.
At 23, he watched his actress girlfriend Diana Hyland take her last breath aged just 41 – and the harrowing loss changed him forever.
Diana met John in 1976 on the set of the TV movie they co-starred in, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, and despite an 18-year age gap, romance blossomed.
Just months later, however, she was gone – taken too soon by aggressive breast cancer.
Now a long-time friend of the Grease star has told of the sense of “guilt” he feels to this day – and the emotional act he’s yearning to do.
“John has carried Diana in his heart for almost 50 years,” the friend tells Woman’s Day. “She was his first real love and her death shattered him. He’s always felt guilty that he’s gone on to have this incredible career whereas her life was cut so short – and she was incredibly talented.”
Poignantly, John had his first taste of fatherhood with Diana – as her son Zachary was a three-year-old when they got together – and now the star is understood to want his blessing to make something very special happen.
“Now Zach’s got a family of his own, John wants Diana’s grandkids to know more about how brilliant she was,” the insider shares.
“He wants to do something special to remember her for more than just a terrible loss.”
It’s understood John has been discussing the possibility of doing a memorial documentary on Diana’s life, or even setting up a cancer foundation in her name.
“But he won’t move forward without Zachary’s blessing,” the source adds.
“He’s not interested without Diana’s family on board. She was a very special lady who showed him how to love – he’d never have gone on to become a dad if it hadn’t been for Diana.”
Indeed, John did go on to welcome children of his own – Jett, Ella Bleu and Benjamin – with actress Kelly Preston, who he met on the set of movie, The Experts.
Sadly, tragedy would follow John throughout his life.
In 2009, Jett died aged 16 after suffering a seizure during a family holiday in the Bahamas.
In an emotional 2014 interview, John described the loss of his son as the “worst thing that’s ever happened in my life”.
Devastatingly, just over a decade later, Kelly was gone too – taken by the same cancer that had killed Diana years before.
“I learned that crying and mourning over someone is something personal,” John reflected in a 2021 interview with Esquire. “Mourning is individual and experiencing your own journey is what can lead to healing.”
