NASSAU, Bahamas, Jan. 5, 2009
Jett Travolta Was Killed By A "Seizure"
His Body Shows No Sign Of Head Trauma & His Death Certificate Says He Was Killed By A "Seizure"
-
-
In this image released by Rogers & Cowan public relations, actor John Travolta is shown with his son Jett in an undated family photo. (AP Photo/Rogers & Cowan)
-
Husband and wife actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston, seen here at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in November 2007. Their teenage son Jett died after injuring himself at their Bahamas vacation home. (AP Photo/Michael A. Mariant)
-
- Stories
- Travolta's Son Dies In Accident
Glen Campbell, assistant director of the Bahamian funeral home handling the remains of John Travolta's son, told The Associated Press that the body is in "great condition," despite police officials who had said the teen hit his head on a bathtub.
Authorities didn't release the results of an autopsy performed Monday, but Campbell saw the body and the death certificate, which was based on its findings.
"The only cause of death that was listed was 'seizure,'" he said.
Late Monday, a black hearse traveled from the funeral home to the airport after the family said it would bury the teen near their home in Ocala, Florida. Two white jets waited as police in dress uniforms blocked access to the tarmac.
Jett Travolta died Friday at the family's vacation home on Grand Bahama Island.
"We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief," actor parents John Travolta and Kelly Preston said Sunday in a public statement. "We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives."
Travolta tried CPR to revive his son, who may have died in his arms before an emergency medical technician took over, Usmagazine.com reported, citing Travolta attorneys Michael McDermott and Michael Ossi. They did not respond to calls from the AP on Monday.
Travolta, 54, and Preston, 46, have said Jett became very sick when he was 2 years old and was diagnosed with Kawasaki Syndrome, an illness that leads to inflamed blood vessels. Preston has blamed household cleaners and fertilizers and said a detoxification program based on teachings from the Church of Scientology helped improve his health, according to People magazine.
Police said in a statement that Jett had not been seen since Thursday when a caretaker, Jeff Kathrain, found him unconscious late Friday morning. But McDermott said that wrongly left the impression that Jett was unsupervised. He said two nannies were with Jett throughout the evening, and he does not believe the teen was in the bathroom for very long.
About a dozen security guards and Bahamian police officers patrolled around the luxury Old Bahama Bay resort community Sunday where the Travoltas have their home. The white-sand beach in front of the suites was closed.
The couple also has an 8-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu.
Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham sent condolences to the Travolta family and said the autopsy is a formality the country requires in cases of sudden death to rule out foul play.
Back in 2000, John Travolta spoke on The Early Show about Jett after the birth of his second child.
"The first one, they're monitored so closely. The poor things, how do they survive it?"
But starting when he was just two, something was also wrong with Jett. His parents said it was Kawasaki Syndrome, a rare lymph node disorder found in young children.
Quote
They have denied reports linking his history of seizures to autism, a condition their faith does not recognize … as among Hollywood's best-known Scientologists.It is probably the worst day in the life of Mr. and Mrs. John Travolta.
Family attorney Michael Ossi"I attribute everything in my career to Scientology," Preston said in 1997.
Autopsies cannot pinpoint autism, but today's may somehow explain his final fatal fall in the Bahamas.
By mid-week, the Travoltas hope to bring their son's body to central Florida for burial. This island holds a special place for the Travoltas. Wherever you go, the locals talk about them - and now grieve for them - like extended family.
A Close-Knit Family Fractured By Loss
Entertainment reporter Mark Steines, co-host of "Entertainment Tonight," said Travolta has spoken recently with him of looking forward to a holiday trip with his family, following the lengthy shooting schedule of "From Paris With Love."
"He said it was exhausting," Steines told The Early Show correspondent Julie Chen. "He was looking to the wrap date, which was the 19th, 20th of December and very much looking forward to time over the holidays with his family, coming here and ringing in the New Year. Of course, we know it wasn't much of a celebration."
Steines said he met Jett years ago when he was much smaller. "It is a family affair with the Travoltas. They spend as much time together as possible. There's a film coming out called "Old Dogs" that stars John, Kelly and Ella Bleu."
Steines said the family is "locked down" in their gated community on the west side of the island, surrounded by loved ones. "About 16 family and friends had come in to ring in the New Year with the Travoltas. This is what they typically do this time of year, a big gathering of friends and family here. Some of those people remain here in the Travoltas in support, and there may be possibly a small viewing as well."
The couple met in the late eighties while filming "The Experts." They married in 1991.
Steines described the Travoltas as "wonderful" parents. "They're always trying to find ways to work together. John frequently has them stay with him when he's on location. In this case when he was in Paris recently, they had a little chateau, villa that they all stayed together in. You know, he's a family guy. He loves his children very, very much.
"Kelly is very active in their lives from education to raising awareness about chemicals in homes and things like that and lobbying for, you know, not use of medication to deal with certain issues with children in schools such as ritalin and things like that. I've had long discussions with her about that. So they are very, very caring parents."
Steines said the close-knit family is now fractured by the loss of Jett.
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More From Entertainment
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 63 CommentsMy god let it all go! Let this childs body be put to rest & stop tring to surpress your pathedic lifes on here like you have no soul, no love for life, nor compassion for parents with a dead child.. Get over yourselves & move forward to postives things.. Negitivity breeds ugly.. Postivity breeds beauty..
I, as a mother grieve for John, Kelly & their daugther..
I see what you are saying. I just wanted you to understand that the seizure itself and not damage from the seizure is what caused the death. Thank you for answering me.
Posted by gramto8
Firts, may I say that I''m very sorry that your grandson suffers from grand mal seizures. My youngest brother also suffered for them for many years when he was a child. I understand that the condition is quite capable of causing death, i.e. killing its victims. I took issue with the sensationalistic reporting methods, not with the very real fact of death as it relates to it in many cases. It is how it has been portrayed that bothered me. The way the headlines reported that Jett was killed makes it seem as if there was something amiss or that there must have been a guilt factor. All I''m saying is that the headlines needn''t use the pain of this family''s loss that bluntly. It''s because he is Travolta''s son and Travolta is related to Scientology that they portray his death this way. I have not seen "kill" used to describe any other person''s unexpected death in print. Drugs kill, but Anna Nicole "died" from an overdoes". Cancer kills, but when asked, we reply that he died of cancer. Complications during childbirth has oftentimes "killed" the mother, but you tell the child that she "died" during childbirth. It''s the spin you put on it.
and second of all half the comments in here is why i tell people you can stick religion where the sun dont shine(to say it nicely) your all a bunch of hypocrites = a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
Just so you know, at the height of any tonic-clonic (formerly known as grand mal) seizure, a person''s breathing and heart is stopped. They, at that point, are clinically dead. It is something that my daughter has to live with every day of my grandson''s life, as he has had more than one tonic-clonic, and has focal (petit mal) seizures daily. So, to answer your post, YES, a seizure CAN KILL.
Family attorney Michael Ossi"
Probably?
Someone posted earlier that they used several anti-seizure meds for a long time, but they became ineffective and the only relief he found was to have a part of his brain removed. Could someone with medical knowledge post about how common this is? Scientologists do believe in medical intervention, but I imagine allowing brain surgery on a child would be hard for them, as with any parent.
Posted by cattlekate at 08:33 AM : Jan 06, 2009
You are correct. Once a person has been tried on all available medications and those haven''t worked, ablation or removal of the offending portion of the brain is the next step. The rest of the brain would then take over any functions the removed portion formerly provided.
This story has nothing to do with religion or the current president. It is horrible that you use the death of a much loved child to spread your hate...
Grow Up!!
I hope the family finds some peace.
My brother "died" from cancer and that''s what I tell people, not that it "killed" him.
The way you say something tends to elicit the response you seek...
Thank you.
Someone posted earlier that they used several anti-seizure meds for a long time, but they became ineffective and the only relief he found was to have a part of his brain removed. Could someone with medical knowledge post about how common this is? Scientologists do believe in medical intervention, but I imagine allowing brain surgery on a child would be hard for them, as with any parent.
The root of evil is bad people can influence and control good people with scary thoughts. for instance Rove, Cheney and Bush were masters of this phenomenon with the American sheeple.
It is a same that people are not comfortable outside their religious boxes. Too bad some people think they have to kill people outside of their boxes to gain favor with their box gods.
The Abrahamic religions can''t teach a thing about love because they are steeped in torture, murder and acts of bestiality. The devil lives in the hearts of those.
Sadness,loss and grief.But from some of these comments I can see theres alot of people who do not know the meaning of these words.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 63 Comments