John Travolta's Teen Son Dies

[AllardChardon]

December 29, 2008
John Travolta's Teen Son Dies Following Fall At Bahamas Hotel
By Access Hollywood

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- John Travolta's 16-year-old son, Jett, has died after a hotel accident in the Bahamas, Access Hollywood has confirmed.

The actor and his family were on vacation at the Old Bahama Bay hotel on the Grand Bahama island, when Jett fell and hit his head on the bathtub, a source told Access on Friday at 10 AM PST.

An attorney for the Travolta family told CBS Radio that Jett had suffered a seizure.

Following the incident, Jett Travolta was taken to Rand Memorial Hospital in the Bahamas.

When contacted by Access Hollywood, an employee at the Old Bahama Bay hotel, where Travolta owns several beachfront units, said she was "not allowed to talk about [the incident]."

Jett was one of two children for the actor and his wife, Kelly Preston. The couple also has an 8-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu.

Travolta, 54, and Preston, 46, were married in September 1991. Jett was born the following April.

***The first article on OMG said Jett had a history of seizures. My heart goes out to John and Kelly.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

The bathtub is the most dangerous place in the house, though not usually for one so young.

 

[rkm10]

For anyone to die so young is a tragedy for the world, who can possibly know what he could have become

 

[impressive]

Damn.

s for the family

 

[Lady_Guenivere]

That is so incredibly heartbreaking.

 

[AchtungNight]

I gave my condolences on IMDB. I do so again here. RIP Jett. My sympathy to your family and friends. Hope they can peacefully celebrate your life.

 

[Just-Legal]

Oh Geez... that's so sad.

 

[redpaint]

my heart goes out to the family at this time.

 

[DesertPirate]

The worst thing for any parent

 

[_Lynn_]

So sad.

 

[AllardChardon]

My ex had a seizure recently and it scared the crap out of me. I called the doctor's office in a panic and they calmly told me to keep him safe. I thoroughly understand the reasoning after this tragedy. Bathtub alert from now on.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

My ex had a seizure recently and it scared the crap out of me. I called the doctor's office in a panic and they calmly told me to keep him safe. I thoroughly understand the reasoning after this tragedy. Bathtub alert from now on.

Seizures really are scarey. Every now and again we get a poorly controlled epilectic child at school. No fun. All you can do is try and make sure they don't choke or bite themselves until it passes.

 

[Just-Legal]

My ex had a seizure recently and it scared the crap out of me. I called the doctor's office in a panic and they calmly told me to keep him safe. I thoroughly understand the reasoning after this tragedy. Bathtub alert from now on.

Since I started fainting randomly I won't go near the bath. The shower isn't so bad - its an enclosed walled one so I would - and have - just slump against the wall, but the idea of going over getting in or out, or just fainting while IN the bath as position seems to have nothing to do with it? Scares the hell out of me.

 

[AllardChardon]

I found this.

A Closer Look at What Ailed Jett Travolta
Natalie Finn – Fri Jan 2, 7:00 pm ET E! Online

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Kelly Preston has said that she believes toxic cleaning products in her family's home caused her son's health problems early in life.

Jett, her 16-year-old son with husband John Travolta, who died suddenly Friday morning after suffering a seizure while on vacation with his familiy in the Bahamas, was hospitalized when he was 15 months old with Kawasaki disease, a rare illness that mainly affects young children. It's treatable but can have unforeseen complications, including lasting damage to the heart.

The boy's body will remain at Rand Memorial Hospital in the Bahamas pending an autopsy.

The direct cause of Kawasaki syndrome remains unknown, but some studies have shown a possible link between the disease and exposure to carpet-cleaning chemicals or living in an area close to a stagnant body of water, according to research gathered by Children's Hospital Boston's Kawasaki Disease Program.

Studies also found that the disease is reported more frequently among children from higher socioeconomic groups, of which Jett Travolta was certainly a member.

In 2002, Preston taped a helpful-hints video for The Oprah Winfrey Show, suggesting ways to childproof the cleaning products in your home.

"When I learned I was pregnant [with now 8-year-old Ella Bleu], the first thing I wanted to do was to create the perfect place to bring my baby home to," Preston said.

"I had all of this nesting energy. I'm sure you know that feeling. But sometimes when we think we are doing the right thing, like scrubbing the nursery spotless, even cleaning the carpet, we are actually inviting dangerous chemicals into our baby's world. Even what these chemicals leave behind can cause problems, so hold off on using so many cleaners."

The Children's Health Environmental Coalition has also recommended that children stay out of a house where the carpet has just been cleaned for at least four hours.

The debate over the exact cause of Kawasaki disease continues, and recent theories have focused on possible bacterial causes and whether children can have a genetic predisposition for infection.

"There is something about the act of shampooing that indirectly caused the outbreak," Dr. David Morens, an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md., told the Austin American-Statesman in 2006.

"It had nothing to do with the chemicals in the shampoo or rug fibers, but more likely with bacteria released into the air. There are whole ecosystems in a carpet...bacteria, spores and fungi that live and grow there."

While common symptoms include a high fever, a rash and swollen lymph nodes, cardiac complications can include inflammation of blood vessels in the coronary arteries, aneurysms and, in some cases, heart attacks.

Seizures have also been linked to Kawasaki, according to Aetna's InteliHealth site.

In June 2007, Travolta's legal camp fired back at rumors that the actor and his wife were refusing to publicly admit that Jett had autism and covering it up by claiming the boy had Kawasaki disease instead.

"The Travoltas are wonderful, loving parents, and their priority is their children," a Travolta attorney said. "They have and they continue to take the best possible care of their children. To suggest anything to the contrary is very hurtful to a loving family and also would be false and defamatory."

 

[gauchecritic]

All you can do is try and make sure they don't <> bite themselves until it passes.

Do NOT under ANY circumstances attempt to restrain an epileptic seizure. Call medics, call experienced personnel and clear the immediate vicinity of furniture and other objects.

If the seizure persists for longer than 3-5 minutes dial the emergency services. In all likelihood the seizure will stop before they get there.

 

[sweetness6280]

Incredibly sad news.

My roommate in college had epilepsy. She only had one seizure while we roomed together. It's a scary thing.

The bathtub is a dangerous place for anyone who has seizures. We lost a family friend many years ago because she had a seizure while in the bath.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

 

[Emerald_Dragon]

I hate to bring it up though but I will.

I wonder if he received medication for his seizures. The whole Scientology thing bothers me. It is one thing if you are doing everything possible for your child, another if you are ignoring things (like medication) that may help them.

Just wonder.

 

[pellso27]

As sad as it is, maybe some will realise money does not make everything perfect.

 

[Carnevil9]

The Jett is grounded.

 

[AllardChardon]

No information in any of the articles I read about whether he was on medication or not. He was found by the nanny. The first to arrive was the hotel manager who administered CPR and then John arrived and took over CPR until the EMT crew arrived. Jett expired at the scene. No one has said if he was alive when the nanny found him on the floor of the bathroom. A careful autopsy will be conducted and the plan is to fly Jett home to Ocala, Florida, where the family lives most of the time, foir burial. Ella Bleu, his 8 year old sister has been told what happened.

60 members of the family and friends had flown down to the Bahamas for the Travoltas New Year's celebration. The guests arrived and were told the sad news.

 

[tickledkitty]

It amazes me how people are on this like vultures.

It was an unfortunate accident. How about letting the family grieve in peace?

 

[MagicaPractica]

How sad. I can't imagine the grief.

 

[AllardChardon]

I have admired John Travolta over the years from Vinnie Barbarino to Michael and Hairspray. I have known him for so long as a fan that he seems like a dear friend to me. The tragedy of losing your child, possibly in your arms, is so heart-wrenching, I had to reach out to others in my grief. This is not gossip. My heart hurts with theirs.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

It amazes me how people are on this like vultures.

It was an unfortunate accident. How about letting the family grieve in peace?

But, but . . . they're celebrities, after all. Don't they exist for our prurient entertainment?


And journalists wonder why they're public esteem is below used car salesmen.

 

[AchtungNight]

My mom has had epileptic seizures. I know they are a terrible thing to suffer through- for the person having one and the observer.

I sent the Travolta family a sympathy card yesterday. I pray for them as they get through their pain.