Kirstie Alley and John Travolta weren’t just a match made in Hollywood rom-com history, the iconic duo were also very close friends off-screen. Following the news of Kirstie’s passing on Monday after a short battle with cancer, Travolta was the first of many stars to share a touching tribute, perhaps as it should be given, their longtime friendship.
“Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I love you Kirstie. I know we will see each other again,” Travolta wrote on Instagram alongside two photos of Kirstie, one in which he’s sharing a laugh with her.
And laughs these two did share, but in a rare treat, they also shared their laughs with the rest of the world in countless films together.
Travolta and Alley, who co-starred in the 1989 comedy “Look Who’s Talking,” first met on the set of the film. The concept was a fun one. Alley, a single mother, gets an unlikely helping hand from cab driver, Travolta, as she navigates parenting a baby boy. The rom-com twist? The baby regularly voices his opinions, which the audience hears, about the prospective love match between the two. The movie was such a hit that it led to two follow-up films, “Look Who’s Talking Too” in 1990 and “Look Who’s Talking Now” in 1993. Alley and Travolta both appeared in the follow-up films, solidifying their fan-favorite status as a rom-com couple.
And while the two never took their romance off-screen, it wasn’t for a lack of interest on Kirstie’s part. In several interviews through the years, the stunning actress shared that she’d always be interested in the hunky “Grease” actor, despite the fact that she was married to Parker Stevenson until 1997 and he was married to the late Kelly Preston from 1991-2020.
PHOTOS: Kirstie Alley and John Travolta’s Friendship: A Look Back
Kirstie Alley and John Travolta’s Friendship: A Look Back
View GalleryIn 2013, Alley told Howard Stern how she couldn’t take her eyes off Travolta during “Look Who’s Talking.”
“It took me years to not look at John as a romantic interest,” she revealed to Stern. “He’s a very generous person. He’s very interested. If you ever talk to John, and this is genuine with him, you will become the most interesting thing that he’s ever met in his life.”
Adding, “And he’s obviously very handsome.”
As for whether they would have ever walked down the aisle? Kirstie told Stern that had they not been married at the time, they ” both would have” pursued a relationship.
In 2018, Alley admitted in an episode of “Big Brother U.K.” that she almost “kissed” Travolta. “I almost ran off and married John. I did love him, I still love him. If I hadn’t been married I would’ve gone and married him and I would’ve been in an airplane because he has his own plane,” Alley said during the show.
And while their friendship never took that romantic turn, the two continued to show up for each other as friends on more occasions than one.
More recently, in 2019, Kirstie was on tap to support Travolta at the Hollywood premiere of Travolta’s new movie, “The Fanatic.” The two buddied up for several fun snaps together, a reunion that was covered by multiple media outlets.
She was also among a select few close family and friends to celebrate John’s wife, Kelly Preston’s birthday in 2019. Kirstie was seen in a snap posted to John’s Instagram posing with Kelly and John.
And Travolta said it best in his loving tribute to Kirstie on Monday – “Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had.”
PHOTOS: Kirstie Alley’s Life In Photos
Kirstie Alley’s Life In Photos
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