John Travolta’s 16-Year Old Son Suffers Seizure, Dies
Yesterday I posted a newslink for the sad news that John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s 16-year old son Jett suddenly died while the family was on holiday at their home in the Bahamas (the news was first reported by TMZ). At the time that I posted the newslink, there was no information as to the cause of the boy’s untimely death. It has since been reported by multiple news outlets that Jett suffered a seizure while in the bathtub and hit his head. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the local hospital:
Jett Travolta, the 16-year-old son of actor John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston, died Friday while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas. Jett had suffered a seizure at his family’s vacation home at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island, said Michael Ossi, a lawyer for the family, in a statement through Travolta’s rep. The teen hit his head in a bathtub Friday morning and was declared dead at Rand Memorial Hospital, police spokeswoman Loretta Mackey told the Associated Press. According to police, a caretaker had found Jett unconscious in the bathroom around 10 a.m. An autopsy is being pursued to determine the exact cause of death. Jett, who is the only son of Travolta, 54, and Preston, 46, had a history of seizures, according to Ossi. The couple also have a daughter, Ella Bleu, 8 … In 2003 Preston told Montel Williams that when Jett was 2 he became “very, very ill, but it seemed like flu symptoms” before being diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. The condition, which usually affects children from ages 2 to 5, can cause inflammation of the arteries. Usually treatable, it can lead to lasting heart damage in rare cases. Preston, who also said Jett suffered from asthma, blamed household cleaners, fertilizers and pesticides for sparking the condition and lobbied for more detailed labeling on chemical products. She credited a detoxification program based on the writings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard with helping to improve Jett’s health.
It was widely speculated that Jett Travolta was autistic, tho the family denied it. TMZ is reporting today that police have opened an investigation into the boy’s death but do not believe that any crimes were committed. If anything, the investigation hopes to clarify the events surrounding the boy’s death. He was last seen going to the bathroom on Jan. 1 but wasn’t seen again until 10AM the following morning. I cannot begin to imagine the level of grief the family must be facing at a time like this. The loss of a child must be the most devastating thing a family can endure. I can only hope the family will be able to find the strength and resolve to make it thru this horrible tragedy. I’m sure it is safe to say that all of our thoughts and prayers are with the Travolta family right now.
[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]
Tags: Jett Travolta, John Travolta
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January 3rd, 2009 at 8:18 am
SO SAD! Tragic any way you look at this!
January 3rd, 2009 at 8:32 am
Oh, that’s horrible. The poor family – no matter what we all think about John and his Scientology, the pain that he, his wife, and his daughter are going through…oh. 16 is way, way too young to die.
January 3rd, 2009 at 8:49 am
Wow!! Oh my god. This is so tragic. I can’t believe this. My thoughts and prayers definitely go out to the Travolta’s at this unimaginably difficult time.
January 3rd, 2009 at 8:50 am
By the way, Trent…since you blogged about Kelly Clarkson’s new single cover yesterday, you may be interested in the projected album cover that I found in her blog. The link is below.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aMxhIrPIP8I/SV9JkdhwOdI/AAAAAAAAAgw/RpZc2cXRVzw/s1600-h/600px-Kelly_Clarkson_Masquerade_Album_Cover.png
January 3rd, 2009 at 8:57 am
@E – i gotta say, that cover does not look real at all :/
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:03 am
Yeah I guess you’re right. That picture looks like it’s from the Breakaway era. Oopsie! Nevermind.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:06 am
Awful news, but Jett had been sick for YEARS and they really thought that some nonsense “detox” program written by a guy who founded a religious cult would cure a serious illeness…? GET FUCKING REAL!! It really annoys me when Scientologists have this strong belief in not being treated by normal doctors, yet when a child has a serious illness they ought to forgot all this cult nonsense and actually be a lot more sensible! To be honest, it wasn’t a surprise that he died. If Jett had been properly treated at a hospital like Cedars Sinai in LA, he would probably be still alive.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:10 am
I am a big fan of John Travolta, always have been since first seeing “Grease”, but I can’t bare all this cult crap these Hollywood people are into. Kabbalah and Scientology are both nonsense. I hope now after all this that John and Kelly have that third child they have been trying for. It’s never too late.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:11 am
this is completly devistating. my thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:19 am
@Pinkisthenewblog
I agree with your feeling on Scientology but we don’t know what Jon and his family did or didnt do for Jett. So its unfair to judge.
My thoughts are with the family.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:32 am
I may not be a fan of John Travolta, aside from loving his movies Grease and Hairspray, but this is just heartbreaking. I really hope that the police don’t find any foul play here. My thoughts are definitely with the Travolta family.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:43 am
@arian—i cannot believe you’d say that. Anytime someone dies; sympathy should be given. That’s absolutely horrible to say.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:49 am
The thing I find weird is that nobody went to say goodnight to Jett? A child with serious issues? He goes into the bathroom and nobody thinks to check on him until the next day? Kinda weird. I have 2 kids and even at 16 I think I’d still want to say goodnight to them each day. That’s the only thing that bothers me. Them being shady about his “true” condition doesn’t surprise me. It’s not really our business is it? They don’t HAVE to be the poster family for whatever was wrong with him just because they’re famous.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:56 am
My prayers are with the family at this tragic time. No matter what their beliefs are, they lost a family member and a young one at that… no parent should have to endure this… At any age.
January 3rd, 2009 at 10:05 am
Arian, they don’t deserve sympathy because you don’t like their religion? That’s effed up!!! You don’t know what was done medically for him. You don’t know anything about him, just what you hear from the media. No one should ever have to bury a child, may he RIP.
BTW, I find ALL types of organized religion just as “freak-like” as Scientology.
January 3rd, 2009 at 10:19 am
what a tragedy. i hope the family will find peace and comfort during this difficult time.
btw, yes scientology is a cult, but detoxification does work when it comes to improving health and preventing illness. detoxification is not a cult. using drugs and surgery is not the answer to every illness/disease. if it was the answer, why do so may people die after “life-saving” surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, and being on prescription drugs for years on end?! allopathic medicine does have its place, but it does not cure anything. it only puts a band-aid on the symptoms and causes more problems than were there to begin with (you take one medicine for your high cholesterol and that causes your blood sugar levels to rise, so the doctor puts you medicine for controlling your blood sugar, and that causes severe headaches, so you start taking pain killers- before you know it, you are a walking pharmacy!).
good for them for loving their son so much that they tried everything to help him. obviously his anti-seizure medicine didn’t work.
January 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 am
I agree with Pooneck in a way, but if the Travoltas really have tried to depend on the “detox” treatments that were apparently thought up by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, that obviously didn’t work and was not enough to cure the illness. This condition can only be treated by proper doctors, as it is very serious. I do actually know quite a lot about Scientology, having met members of the cult when I lived in LA, where there are loads of them. They do not believe in seeing doctors. Scientologists believe that illnesses should try to be cured by herbal remedies and natural products rather than a medication prescribed by doctors. They also must stick to the teachings of it’s founder and what he believed in, which from my point of view was a total load of bollocks!
January 3rd, 2009 at 11:44 am
This is tragic. But it is widely known that Jett was autistic and had seizures and SHOULD have been on seizure medication. But because scientologists dont believe in medication, they didnt put him on the medication. I hope they regret their decision. Scientology kills.
January 3rd, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Yeah I dabble in consipiracy theories, but this tragedy can’t be treated like the anna nicole/daniel case which was absolutely suspicious. There is little known about this situation so people need to stop the speculating and wait until more information comes out, otherwise please shut up. My condolenses to the family, it must be a nightmare what they are dealing with right now. I’m sure they are hurting. The people saying what they did or didn’t do(regarding medications), how can you know that? Show me a link to your source about there family specifically, at the end of the day most stuff we hear about celebs are rumors and gossip, you cant make that stuff into facts until it comes from the horses mouth. Yeah the bahamas are officially creepy now.
January 3rd, 2009 at 12:33 pm
such a sad thing. losing a kid will feel the same no matter what religion you follow. my condolences to the Travolta family.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
holy carp!
January 3rd, 2009 at 3:42 pm
that is so awful and tragic…my thoughts and prayers are with the family; what is just weird is how they didn’t check on Jett…that is the part that confuses me…
January 3rd, 2009 at 4:10 pm
This is so sad. He lives right down the street from me in Ocala, FL. in a gated community and this morning I drove by and there were flowers and things sitting outside of the gate. The Travolta family is amazing and so kind! It is so sad to see something like this happen to them. They will be in my prayers.
January 3rd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
fist off everyone saying crap about their religion thats messed up let them believe what they believe in. its not hurting you. right now they are hurting for the loss of their son. they dont need to be critisized. my thoughts are with them. no parent should ever have to lose a child
January 3rd, 2009 at 5:18 pm
“obviously his anti-seizure medicine didn’t work.”
He probably wasn’t on anti-seizure medication. Scientologists believe that only emergency, life-saving medication, that don’t have any mental affects are okay. Keep in mind that ASPIRIN is on the no-no list of drugs that affect the mind, and you can see why they probably wouldn’t put the kid on a much needed medicine that would change his brain chemistry to prevent incidents like this as much as possible.
Yes, it’s very sad that he died, and I’m sure the Travoltas did their best despite being part of a misguided cult, but it is possible that if they had a different religion (or none) that he would’ve gotten the help he needed, and his death could’ve been prevented (or it might not have been, he would’ve still had the occasional seizure). But one can still be sympathetic towards the family’s loss, and criticise the teachings of Scientology.
January 3rd, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Oh, and as far as certain drugs not working for some people, that doesn’t make modern medicine bad, it means that the drug didn’t work for that person. Not every medicine is going to work for every person. Sometimes an illness is too far for certain medicines to work, sometimes a person’s body will just reject it. And I have never, ever heard of cholesterol medicines causing high blood sugar, and most people don’t need prescription pain killers for normal headaches. And if you’ve ever had a migraine, you know aspirin (which, again, a no-no in Scientology) just won’t cut it.
So, maybe you should learn a bit more about modern medicine before saying that kind of stuff.
January 3rd, 2009 at 5:56 pm
wow, this is terrible. im an 18 year old girl who was only recently diagnosed with epilepsy and i know how life altering having seizures can be. infact, only a couple months ago i too had a seizure in the bath, i was just lucky enough to have not hurt myself too badly. and in regards to the medicine, a lot of the ones prescribed dont work efficiently with every person. they can often result in severe side effects. i had to try 3 or 4 different anti-convulsant medicines before i found one that worked properly. and seizures can also happen even when on medication, they are often governed by things like lack of sleep, alcohol and anything like having a cold or flu at the time, so theres no way of knowing if he was or wasnt on medication. my thoughts are with the family at this sad time.
January 4th, 2009 at 10:53 am
With all do respect, why is it necessary to comment on the rumor that his son might have been autistic? Children do not pass away from autism tho they might have other ailments that might be more commen with autism. God Bless John Travolta and his family during this tragic time.
January 4th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
@Kelli:
I’m sure noone will read this since it was posted yesterday, but the reason people comment on his son’s “alleged”* autism is because it would be so helpful in funding for research if someone of his stature with an autistic child would use their fame and money to help bring awareness and funds to autism research.
*I use quotation marks around alleged because most people who have spent any significant time with someone who is autistic can see that he certainly exhibits some telltale signs. I don’t blame them for “hiding” him, most situations that he would be in would be extremely upsetting to someone with even mild autism, but, assuming that’s what he had, they didn’t need to be ashamed or lie about it.
January 6th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Bless them in their time of mourning. How sad.