Kelly Preston's Half-Brother Says Their Family Is 'Gutted' Over Her Death: 'She Was a Warrior'
Kelly Preston's half-brother, Chris Palzis, said their family is just "gutted" over her death by breast cancer at 57
Kelly Preston’s younger half-brother is mourning her death at the age of 57.
Chris Palzis, 51, said the actress would “always be remembered for how she brought out the best in people," while recently speaking to The Daily Mail.
“We’re still really grieving so I don’t have anything eloquent to say right now,” Palzis told the outlet. “We’re just all very gutted over this if I had to say something that would pretty much summarize it.”
He described Preston as “a light,” saying, “She was a warrior.”
RELATED: Kelly Preston's Amazing Life: PEOPLE Cover Remembers Star after Her Death from Breast Cancer
Palzis said the actress was in Florida at the time of her death. “It’s heartbreaking. We just got back from her bedside in Florida. We were all together in Florida.”
A family representative told PEOPLE exclusively of Preston’s death on Monday, saying in a statement, “On the morning of July 12, 2020, Kelly Preston, adored wife and mother, passed away rolling a two-year battle with breast cancer.”
"Choosing to keep her fight private, she had been undergoing medical treatment for some time, supported by her closest family and friends," the family rep said. "She was a bright, beautiful and loving soul who cared deeply about others and who brought life to everything she touched. Her family asks for your understanding of their need for privacy at this time."
Preston is survived by her husband John Travolta and their children: daughter Ella, 20, and 9-year-old son Benjamin. Son Jett died at age 16 in January 2009.
Travolta, her husband of almost 29 years, shared the devastating news with a heartfelt post on Instagram.
"It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many," he wrote.
"My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side. Kelly's love and life will always be remembered," Travolta, 66, continued.