JOHN TRAVOLTA is "heartbroken" after he tried in vain to save the life of his son JETT by administering emergency mouth-to-mouth resuscitation before paramedics arrived.
The 16-year-old passed away in the Bahamas on Friday (02Jan08) after suffering a seizure at his family’s holiday home at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island, according to family attorney Michael Ossi.
The actor rushed to the bathroom at the property and tried to resuscitate Jett after the teenager’s nanny, Jeff Kathrein, discovered him lying on the floor on Friday morning Ossi says, "He didn’t want anything to happen to that boy, and he kept on trying to revive him. He did mouth-to-mouth until they had to physically remove John to take Jett to the hospital. He never dreamed of this - their relationship was so close. He always said ‘I’m happy as long as my kids are happy’. He is heartbroken… To bury your son is the worst thing you can ever do." Jett was the eldest of Travolta’s two children with Kelly Preston. The actor and his wife also have a daughter, Ella Blue, who the actor broke the news to soon after the tragedy, according to family friend Michael McDermott.
He says, "She was unaware of what was going on. John broke the news to Ella.
She is heartbroken. She is in disbelief, but it is starting to sink in. She has been asking where her brother is. She was so close to Jett. The whole family were so close. They went everywhere together.
"No father should have to do something like that. It’s heart-wrenching. If you knew how much he loved that boy… you could just see it, you could feel it. The pain is unimaginable.
"John is distraught. He is trying to understand and reconcile this. He is seeking an explanation so that this makes sense to him. And his loved ones are trying to provide that to him. Yesterday was the worst day of his life. Today is probably equally as bad, and if not, it’s the second worst day of his life.
"John is recognising the outpouring of support he has got from both the U.S.
and the world. He can feel the love and he says it makes him stronger and hopefully it allows him to reconcile." Preston’s mother Linda Carlson tells Usmagazine, "I am devastated. He was the light of our lives," adding to OK! magazine, "He was one of the most special, loving boys. I thank God I had time to spend with him before Christmas." The teenager had a history of seizures and was always accompanied by a nanny.
He had two with him on the Bahamas trip, including Jeff Kathrein.
McDermott adds, "Jeff is still very cut up over what has happened and I have not spoken to him, but everyone has told me Jett was never left alone. When he went to bed, so did Jeff. He was always watched." An autopsy involving two pathologists is scheduled for Monday (05Jan08) in a bid to determine the cause of death. It is still unclear whether Jett fell to the floor as a result of a seizure or if he had a seizure after falling or slipping, according to Ossi.
There was blood on the floor of the bathroom, but "not a tremendous amount." The attorney also dismisses claims that Jett lay undiscovered for hours, insisting the injury occurred "very shortly" before the teen was found on the bathroom floor - a period which McDermott called a "small window of time." He adds, "John and Jett had a very strong relationship. Words cannot explain how close they were. This will take a lot of time. His life will never be the same again. He is in shock. He is emotionally distraught. He is going through many different feelings of disbelief and anger.
"It’s going to take a while for him to feel good again. This is the most traumatic thing that has ever happened to him and he needs to go through a process of healing. John and Kelly are suffering total misery. They were so close to their son. This is hard to accept." Jett’s body is expected to be flown to Ocala, Florida on Tuesday (06Jan08) for burial.
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