Travolta's Son Dies In Accident

Jett, 16, Had Disease That May Have Caused Seizure At Vacation Home

(CBS/AP)  John Travolta's teenage son, Jett, died in the Bahamas after apparently suffering a seizure and hitting his head at his family's vacation home, authorities said Friday.

A house caretaker found Jett, 16, unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning. He was taken by ambulance to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Police Superintendent Basil Rahming said in a statement.

The teenager had last been seen entering the bathroom on Thursday and had a history of seizures, according to the statement. An autopsy is planned.

Family attorney Michael Ossi said in a statement that Jett died suddenly on Friday. Publicists Samantha Mast and Paul Block released the statement but could not be reached for additional comment.

"Jett was very happy every day of his life. The Travolta are great parents. We are all deeply saddened by what's occurred," Ossi said, according to CBS News correspondent Manuel Gallegus.

A local police source said Jett apparently hit his head on the bathtub.

Jett was the oldest child of Travolta, 54, and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, 46, who also have an 8-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu.

Preston has said that Jett became very sick when he was 2 years old and was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, an illness that leads to inflammation of the blood vessels in young children. She blamed household cleaners and fertilizers, and said that a detoxification program based on teachings from the Church of Scientology helped improve his health, according to People magazine.

It is unclear whether Jett was taking any medications for his seizures.

The Scientology Celebrity Center in Los Angeles declined to comment. Both Travolta and Preston are practicing Scientologists.

A spokeswoman for Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport said she could not release any information because of privacy concerns.

The family had arrived in the Bahamas on a private plane Tuesday and was vacationing at their home in the Old Bahama Bay resort community.

"The Travolta family has become like family to us at Old Bahama Bay and we extend our deepest sympathies to them," said Robert Gidel, president of Ginn Resorts, the property's owner.

Family friend and Tampa-based attorney Michael McDermott told the Ocala Star-Banner on Friday that Travolta was "broken up" and noted that "Kelly's very quiet."

"Just say a prayer for them," he added. "That's all you can do at this point."

McDermott said that one of Travolta's close associates was making funeral arrangements in Ocala, Florida, where Travolta has a home.

Travolta, who gained fame as Vinnie Barbarino on the 1970s television show "Welcome Back, Kotter" and the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever," went on to become one of Hollywood's biggest names. He married Preston in 1991.

A television actress, Preston appeared with Travolta in the 2000 film "Battlefield Earth," based on a novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

[promaclaura]

A sad story and an interesting first comment.

[noirviolette]

Nothing strange about it,just a very sad accident for an ill young man.My heart and caring thoughts go out to John and Kelly.

[curious_mind]

"although they don''''t believe in medication.."

Whoops. You are thinking of Christian Science which has often shown their methods work.
Travolta belongs to the ones with the e-meters used for operant conditioning.

Sympathy is in order for the son only.
"The sins of the father..."

[rwsmith29456]

What an awful thing for anybody to go through. Sympathy for the Travolta family.

[waynesands]

I''M TRULY SADDENED AT THE NEWS OF HIS DEATH. MY WIFE AND I CAN IDENTIFY WITH YOU, HALF WAY. OUR DAUGHTER ALSO HAD KAWASAKI AT 7 1/2 MONTHS OLD. MY WIFE V FIND IRGINIA LIVES IN FREE OF THE FUTURE SINCE THE MEDICAL PROFESSION DOESN''T KNOW THE MEDICAL FUTURE OF THIS CHILDREN. THIS HAS JUST FLOORED US. WHEN I TOLD HER SHE JUST STRATED CRYING. I CALL IT POST-TRAMATIC EPISODE. OUR HEARTS TRULY AND DEEPLY GO OUT TO BOTH OF YOU. MAY THEY FIND THE CAUSE AND THE CURE FOR IT. MAY MORE PARENTS BE AWARE THAT THERE ARE THIS STRANGE DISEASES OUT THERE.

[sandiahs]

I have always respected John Travolta for his integrity and the kind of person he is. As a parent of two grown sons and the grandmother of six, I cannot imagine going through anything more traumatic then losing a child. My heart and prayers go out to the Travolta family. I hope the press can let well enough alone. I am so sorry. I am so-o sorry. God bless you in this difficul time.

[rbccwong]

This is so sad. God Bless the Travoltas and all those who lose their children. :-(

[dmfg1]

our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time...

[surreal64]

Scientology kills em dead.

[suester08]

My sympathies to the family for their tragic loss.

[sangradouro]

Condolences to the family.

[citizenusa-2009]

Absolutely Heartbreaking. Our life here on Earth is not meant to be easy. No man escapes misery forever...it''s only a matter of time before we all pay in one way or another.

My prayers are with John and his wife. A terrible, terrible tragedy.

[troutfisher4]

Very sad. Way too young.

[irconcerned]

Does anyone else think b4ucmyI and surreal64 are the same person? I''m seeing a pattern.

My heart goes out to the Travolta family.

[gea_amicus]

surreal64, this is for you:

What slimy rock did you crawl out from? Rather than express some sympathy for the Travolta''s great loss, all you can offer is a comment about scientology?

What is it that has made you devoid of any human decency, not even a shred? You are one sick person!

[sevenveils]

Sad, but avoidable. Belief in false values and religion such as spiritual healing and controlling how many aliens control your body, all the while ignoring solid science in medicine will always lead to catastrophic results for ones whose needs are beyond faith.

[irconcerned]

To sevenveils;

Why so judge-mental? I''m Catholic but I can certainly put aside my feelings to support the family.

[kno-1]

What a heart-breaker. He''s in a better place.

I just did some quick medical research on Kawasaki Disease
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kawasaki-disease/DS00576

http://www.kdfoundation.org/
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/kawasaki.html
...seizures aren''t apart of the symptoms/worsened conditions of KD. But in certain forms of autism it is. A neurological disorder that "doesn''t exist" in Scientology.

Can any Scientologists out there tell me, how does one treat the "degraded" as L. Ron describes them? Does auditing and removing thetans work with the "degraded"? Or is there a form of Detox that needs to occur?

[kno-1]

To IRconcerned,
I too support your thought process. It doesn''t matter IMO what religion or philosophy someone has. The poor boy is passed and indeed the family is grieving. As people we have sent our best wishes. However, that does not remove the fact that after condolences are sent, questions & concerns by informed individuals are indeed out there and should be discussed.
We don''t speak here on this board as Catholics, Hebrews, Reformists, Islamists or any other race, gender, religion etc. We are all speaking here on this forum as feeling and (hopefully) knowledgeable individuals in search of understanding, clarification, catharsis and information.

[onlythereal-]

I love John Travolt and my heart goes out to his entire family. Why cant you just have compassion for him without dragging his beliefs into it.

[irconcerned]

Fair enough. I''m sure that''s the point sevenveils was trying to convey. I can understand how he/she was putting aside their religious beliefs to support the family. Thanks for clarifying!

[sscarzz]

Life is short.. Live like it''s yoor LAST DAY..

[downtowner97]

CBS should take extra care to edit posts on stories about people losing their children. Sympathy is the only appropriate response here. John Travolta loved his son. We don''t know either of them. We can only imagine the pain this family is feeling.

[irconcerned]

To downtowner97

Couldn''t agree more......

[luigi999-2009]

You can thank the mindless, irresponsible & stupid Church of Scientology for this. And the Travolta''s were hopelessly willing dupes. What is wrong with these Hollywood brains? Pathetic ...

[rhs648]

You can thank the mindless, irresponsible & stupid Church of Scientology for this. And the Travolta''''s were hopelessly willing dupes. What is wrong with these Hollywood brains? Pathetic ...

Posted by luigi999

What an irresponsible statement. We know almost nothing of the son''s illness or the care provided by his parents over the years for his condition. People hsve seizures and they sometimes result in a fatal result. A grocery store clerk had an epileptic seizure in front of me and could easily have banged his head on the hard floor. I held his head in my lap until he came out of the seizure. It turns out that he has seizures on a regular basis regardless of the medication he takes. It is pathetic when people jump to conclusions with little or no knowledge about a person''s condition.

[irconcerned]

I surrender..........but my heart absolutely goes out to the family. I cannot begin to understand what they''re going through right now. My commentary is off.

[mrvolleyba11]

Can you say Scientology cover up? may the great L Ron Hubbard welcome Jett to the planet xenon (or whatever planet it is) with open arms! ...since they actually don''t worship a god.

pay for some more of your scientology classes and everything will be okay, just remember the depression you are feeling is false and just in your mind!!!

[mariahwelch]

I have memories when John Travolta would go on talk shows, like Letterman, etc., during his son''s first years and how sweet he spoke of Jett. It''s a sin that love should have to be explained to some of the commenters here. And grief.

[dawnyval]

WOW! Judge not, lest ye be judged! I have never once heard Kelly or John Travolta stand in judgement of other peoples choices of relegion, health or medications. They are Scientologist but that does not mean they left Jett untreated. I am a nurse. Seizures can be fatal, even for people who are properly medicated. If their choices somehow played a part in his death then no judgement from the public could hold a candle to the personal hell these two will endure for a lifetime. It is obvious he was deeply loved and will be sorely missed. My deepest sympathy goes to the entire Travolta family.

[bloggirrl]

There are just so many pathetic people in this world. If it isn''t bad enough that people walk around with such sick views, but then to turn around and post them for everyone to read, especially the people that are the ones personally suffering and going through the loss without even considering for one moment what it would be like to suffer such a traggedy.

No matter what, we live in a country where we are given the freedom to have our own beliefs, but yet when they are different from your own you jump on here and start talking *** about these people on a personal level. Who gives a *** what their religious choices are, the fact is that they are human beings that have suffered the loss of a child and if all you have are insults at least have the common courtesy or at least the common sense to keep it to yourself or discuss privately with others that share your views.

Obviously whatever their religious background is, I''m sure that they don''t feel someone, especially their own child should go without proper medication when it is needed. If anyone remembers when Hurricane Katrina happened and our wonderful president was taking tours of damaged areas from the sky, John and his wife flew in with their own plane and handed out medical supplies personally to those in need. There religion wasn''t an issue then for them or the people in need.

[longtree-2009]

free country still is the usa. post what you want it is an individual''s choice to read what you post or not. nothing is forever especially life for any creature on this planet. people die of any age, and death does not discriminate as we all must die sooner or later. no one gets out of life alive. some of us posting, reading here will be dead by the end of the year. such is life. jett just had to go sooner than most while others go later than most. but, make no mistake we all must go no matter your race, color, religion, creed, rich, poor, famous, nobody, etc. the common denominator for all living creatures is final death. end of story. deal with it.

[monique40-2009]

It is very, very sad. But, I am confused. Jett had a history of seizures and probably was monitored all the time. So, how come that Jett went to the bathroom thursday evening and is not discovered in the bathroom until friday morning 10AM???

[vranger]

"since they actually don''''t worship a god."

More ignorance. Of course Scientoloty acknowledges the existence of God.

The are thousands of Christian ministers, and holy men of other religions, who are also Scientologists. Scientology does not ''replace'' original faiths. It adds a technology of practical application of becoming the best person you can to them.

I''m always amazed that people who spend their life soaking up rumor, but are too lazy to actually learn facts, think they know something.

[linfinster]

wow ignorance abounds. Jehovah Witnesses DO get medical care. They just don''t take blood transfusions.

I''m sure the Travolta''s are completely heartbroken and my sympathies are with them. I hope this wasn''t something to do with their Scientology beliefs.

[schoolmarm22]

I''m deeply saddened for John and Kelly''s loss. I have a sixteen year old son and would be devestated if I were to lose him. My condolences go out to the Travolta family, as well as my prayers.

[ladyephesus1]

Come on people..lets not give the couple a hard time in their time of grief.Where''s the compassion in people nowadays? Noone wants to lose their only son. Its a sacrifice that only God could handle.

Remember that!!

[xlib]

The ignorance and callousness shown in some of these posts in downright disgusting. You high and mighty liberals show your true colors. You are judgemental, ignorant and intolerant.
You all best hope that life doesn''t deal you the same that you dish out.
Just what right do you have to judge anyone??
As for the beliefs that this family holds, that''s their business and no one elses.
God help you all.

[pepina42]

The kind and compassionate comments on this site have contribued to the renewal of my faith in the human condition.
My heart, also, goes out to Mr. and Mrs. Travolta. I am so very saddened at their loss...

[misspymny]

I am very sad for the family of Jett. I do have concerns regarding his care. For years the family has kept this child out of the limelight, okay, any celebrity should. But this family hid him out of sight. I know that at 2, autisim shows up in children, mostly boys. I know that that there are many out there that say he had autism, and the family did not want to come out and say this, they blamed it on this syndrome that occurs from cleaning chemicals. That sounds suspicious. And why not just come out and say my son is autistic, and get some real support and help that he could certainly afford.
I also wonder and suspect if they were not treating him with medication, to control his siezures, as scientologist don''t use meds, remember - this whole Tom Cruise rant on using medications instead of whole foods, sunshine, exercise etc. as a cure all. And what if they neglected him medically? Will the autopsy show this? And what if he was not treated, will the family be charged with neglect? Or will the power of these two, keep this all hidden? Just thinking out loud, wondering if this poor kid was getting appropriate treatment.

[mtminds]

Sad, but avoidable. Belief in false values and religion such as spiritual healing and controlling how many aliens control your body, all the while ignoring solid science in medicine will always lead to catastrophic results for ones whose needs are beyond faith. - Sevenveils

Why so judge-mental? I''''m Catholic but I can certainly put aside my feelings to support the family. - IRconcerned

Anger wells over the unnecessary loss of life because of the ignorance and disregard Scientology has over modern medicines and practices. A science fiction writer''s idea of a detox program is not Science. A group of KOOKS in Florida will never glean any knowledge that requires years and thousands of hours of scientific research. The diagnosis described in this article, though sparse screams of a medical condition far beyond Kawasaki disease. Seizures are NOT a symptom or presentation of Kawasaki disease.

Its doubtful the Travolta clan or its circle has any interest in what is being posted here in this time of deep sorrow. but facts are facts. The Boy would still be alive if sciences and not scientology were applied to diagnosing and treatment of his symptoms and medical condition. Body thetans were the least of this boys problems.

[duskay13]

I too wonder why they keep saying he had Kawasaki syndrome. I didn''t think Kawasaki was a neurological disorder. A lot of children recover within a few weeks from Kawasaki if treated. Scientologist dont believe in meds for neuro problems, they believe feel good power of the mind etc....My husband seen one clip on the news this morning and said what was wrong with him. He clearly SEEMED to have autism. So sad.
I feel for the family losing a child like that. By the way I''m not saying their child died because of their belief in Scientology, children have accidents and die regardless of their parents beliefs but you just cant help but wonder.......what if!

[sblake63]

"since they actually don''''''''t worship a god."

More ignorance. Of course Scientoloty acknowledges the existence of God.

The are thousands of Christian ministers, and holy men of other religions, who are also Scientologists. Scientology does not ''''replace'''' original faiths. It adds a technology of practical application of becoming the best person you can to them.

I''''m always amazed that people who spend their life soaking up rumor, but are too lazy to actually learn facts, think they know something.

Posted by vranger at 10:00 AM : Jan 03, 2009

You are dead wrong. Most people involved in Scientology do not believe that Christ is the son of God; much less he is the ONLY way to heaven. Harsh as it sounds people have no business claiming to be a Christian yet thinking there are "other ways" to heaven. Christ himself closed the door on that with 2 scriptural remarks "I am the way the truth and the life" and "Nobody comes to the father but thru me". Non Christians? No need to reply to this you just don%u2019t understand. Christian? Well read up before you comment if you claim to be one, you cant call Christ a liar because he said it himself especially in John 3:16.

Yes it is very sad and I feel for the family in their time of grief. But if this child wasn%u2019t a Christian, he lost out on eternal life. Sad.

[hitoyou11]

I see there are a lot out Doc''s. out.

[850Rick]

Wow. First, my condolences to the Travoltas. Second, it shocks me to see people write such garbage about whether or not they or their son believe in God or not. Really, someone passes away and all you people can do is shove your garbage notions of Chritianity down others throats as you stand on your pedestal next to what you think is God instead of merely sending condolences and being a thoughtful person. It is people like you we should pity for your ignorance and lack of class. The Travoltas are good people, and whether or not you belive as they do, respect their right to their chosing and privacy.

[truthislife1]

God loved this child more than any of us could.

[boyd12002]

Instead of putting down their beliefs we need to focus on the fact that they have lost their son. I am a devout Christian but an not going to be demeaning to what they believe. We are not supposed to judge, but support. All of you that are being negative and hateful need to get off your high horses and put yourself in their situation. What would you want said if your child died?

[redhedgrl1]

they appear to be a loving, sweet family. i can only imagine the devastation they must feel. god bless them all.

[samthetvcat]

John and Kelly clearly loved their son and must be devastated. My heart goes out to both of them :(

[kno-1]

to: onlythereal
Many people here are brining up his beliefs because there is evidence that his belief system has resulted in the death of at least several of it''s members and provide a healthy dose of communication/media control within it''s membership, particularly concerning their celebrity membership.
Now I am not saying that the Travoltas did anything malicious. What I am personally questioning is the circumstances of this poor boys death. The story doesn''t gel for me. As I had placed support info/links in my last posts, to clarify that Kawasaki Syndrome is a Blood Vessel, and could be if not treated, a heart problem. Once again, we are here to question and learn. As a person in the media dept. I know all too well that press releases aren''t the facts, but massaged and treated information. If something seems wrong, it is the media, and our, responsibility to question it. We are calling into question the situation and voicing our concern for a child now gone. That is why we refer to their belief system.