Author Topic: John Travolta's Son Dead at 16 (r.i.p.) (Read 188 times)

Elano · « **on:** January 04, 2009, 11:38:55 AM »

John Travolta's 16-year-old son, Jett, died Friday morning at the family's vacation home in The Bahamas after what the family's lawyer says was a seizure-related incident.

The family, including Jett Travolta's mother, Kelly Preston, and his 8-year-old sister, Ella, had been celebrating the New Year in The Bahamas.

"A nanny attempted to revive him, all attempts were made, but he couldn't be revived," Travolta's attorney, Michael Ossi, who is also in The Bahamas, told ABCNews.com. "They tried as hard as they could to revive Jett."

Ossi added that the teenager "has had seizures in the past, but they were controlled. This one couldn't be."

The seizure may be only part of the story. Royal Bahamas Police Force spokeswoman Loretta Mackey told the Associated Press that Jett Travolta died from hitting his head in a bathtub.

Jett Travolta's health made national news in 2002. It was at this time that his mother disclosed that at age 2 he had had a poorly understood condition known as Kawasaki syndrome, a collection of symptoms that stem from swollen arteries.

Researchers believe that inflammation from Kawasaki syndrome, or KS, can lead to convulsions and seizures.

KS primarily affects children under the age of 5, though it can occur in older children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about nine out of 100,000 children have KS. Incidence is higher among Japanese and Korean children, though KS can occur among any ethnicity.

John Travolta's lawyers -- who are close family friends -- reveal to Usmagazine.com that Jett may have died in his father's arms Friday. "Yesterday was the worst day of [John's] life," Travolta's lawyer and confidant, Michael McDermott, and Michael Ossi, the family's attorney, tell Us in a phone interview (during which they asked all quotes to be jointly attributed).

Us: How is John doing?
Ossi and McDermott: "John is distraught. He is trying to understand and reconcile this. He is seeking an explanation so that this makes sense to him. And his loved ones are trying to provide that to him.

"Yesterday was the worst day of his life. Today is probably equally as bad, and if not, it's the second worst day of his life.

"John is recognizing the outpouring of support he has got from both the U.S. and the world. He can feel the love and he says it makes him stronger and hopefully it allows him to reconcile.

"He is undergoing the pain any father would if they lost his son. Generally a son buries his father, and John thought that would be the way it would go with Jett, not the other way around.

"He is in shock. He is emotionally distraught. He is going through many different feelings of disbelief and anger. It's going to take a while for him to feel good again. This is the most traumatic thing that has ever happened to him and he needs to go through a process of healing. John and Kelly are suffering total misery. They were so close to their son. This is hard to accept.

"He had set a vacation for his employees and friends. Forty-nine adults and their children were coming here [to the Bahamas] from Jan. 2nd to 4th. We were all so excited to spend some days with John. We were on the plane and we had no idea, and then we landed and we found out. Every year he holds a party for friends and employees and this year he had the idea to fly us all to his condo. We were planning to hang out on the beach, go for boat rides and spend time with the family.

Us: Have John and Kelly spent time with anyone since everyone arrived?

Ossi and McDermott: "John and Kelly have been pretty much locked away.

"We are staying here until John leaves. The autopsy should be on Monday.

Us: How is Jett's 8-year-old sister, Ella Bleu, taking it?

Ossi and McDermott: "John broke the news to Ella. She is heartbroken. She is in disbelief, but it is starting to sink in. She has been asking where her brother is. She was so close to Jett. The whole family were so close. They went everywhere together. If John made a movie, they were all there with him.

Us: It's been reported that Jett was left alone for several hours before being discovered. Can you clarify the timeline?

Ossi and McDermott: "Jett was not left alone. He had a nanny present at all times. The nanny was sleeping close to Jett's room. There was a baby monitor, a chime on the door so it was known when Jett was going in and out. He was completely supervised. The nanny found him.

Us: Is it true that Jett died in John's arms?

Ossi and McDermott: "Jett may have still been alive when John administered CPR, and then the EMT took over. Jett was pronounced dead at the hospital. I like to believe John had a chance to say goodbye. He may have died in his dad's arms. I am not certain."

Us: It's been said Jett had a history of seizures. How often did he have them?

Ossi and McDermott: "I am not confident to talk about that. I know he had a history, which of course warranted the extra attention."

Us: You obviously knew Jett well. What was his personality like?

Ossi and McDermott: "He was a wonderful boy. He had physical limitations, but when he looked in his dad's eyes, the love was tangible. When he grabbed onto his dad, he did not want to let him go."

Look back at the stars who died in 2008.

Matty · « **Reply #1 on:** January 04, 2009, 03:15:34 PM »

this is sad for travolta. apparently there is medication that can be used to help people suffering from his sons condition but he wasn't allowed to take them because of scientology and its vitamin b cure-all beliefs.