Jett Travolta, son of actors, dies at 16

Published:

Jett Travolta, son of actors, dies at 16

  • Story Highlights
  • Jett Travolta was son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston
  • Travoltas say Jett suffered from effects of Kawasaki disease
  • Jett Travolta died in Freeport, Bahamas

(CNN) -- The 16-year-old son of actor John Travolta died Friday morning after suffering a seizure while vacationing with his family in the Bahamas, Travolta's attorney told CNN.

"At this point, we know that John Travolta and Kelly Preston's only son, Jett, had a seizure at around 10 a.m. this morning," attorney Michael Ossi said. "All attempts to revive him were unsuccessful."

The cause of death is not known, Ossi said. An autopsy will be conducted Monday. His body will be transferred to Ocala, Florida, for burial, he said.

Jett's death "was completely out of the blue," he said. "John and Kelly are happy when their children are happy. This is the worst day of John's life."

The Travoltas also have a daughter, Ella, 8.

Bahamian police said a caretaker at the West End resort where the Travoltas were vacationing found the teenager unconcious in the bathroom. Jett Travolta was taken by ambulance to Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport and was pronounced dead on arrival, police said.

Jett Travolta had a developmental disability that his parents, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, have linked to Kawasaki disease, an inflammatory disorder of the artery walls that most commonly occurs in young children and can lead to heart disease.

According to the American Heart Association, "About 80 percent of the people with Kawasaki disease are under age 5. Children over age 8 are rarely affected."

The causes of Kawasaki disease are unknown. Some scientists think it's caused by an infectious agent, such as a virus. Some studies have noted a link between the disease and carpet cleaning chemicals.

"With my son ... I was obsessive about cleaning -- his space being clean, so we constantly had the carpets cleaned," John Travolta told CNN's Larry King in 2001. "And I think, between him, the fumes and walking around, maybe picking up pieces or something, he got what is rarely a thing to deal with, but it's Kawasaki Syndrome."

Jett Travolta was about 2 at the time, John Travolta said.

Entry #708

Comments

Avatar PeacefulMan -
#1
Reminds me of Tim Russert's death.
Avatar Vergie6 -
#2
That is so very sad. Thanks for sharing the story with us.
Avatar charmed7 -
#3
Wow, I know John loves those two kids, I saw him on Ellen's
show andhewas going on about how much he loved his
children. My heart goes out to the family

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