John Travolta is one of the biggest Hollywood stars, having spearheaded dozens of successful movies. However, behind the scenes, Travolta’s life is marked by tragedy, which extends to his eldest son, Jett.
Born in 1954, Travolta began acting in local New Jersey productions before moving to Hollywood to chase his dreams. His breakout role came with the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, which aired from 1975 to 1979. Thanks to his television performance, Travolta landed leading roles in 1977’s Saturday Night Fever and 1978’s Grease, two movies that would become cult classics and cement Travolta as a Hollywood powerhouse. From Pulp Fiction to Hairspray, Travolta’s numerous hit roles kept him relevant over the decades, despite controversies involving sexual assault allegations and the actor’s dedication to Scientology.
Travolta married actress Kelly Preston in 1991, sharing three children with her late wife. Sadly, Preston lost the battle against cancer in 2020, interrupting what seems to have been a happy marriage for both parties. Before that, though, the couple would face tragedy by experiencing the worst thing parents can ever go through — the death of a child.
How did Jett Travolta die?
Travolta and Preston had three kids together: the eldest son, Jeff; the middle daughter, Ella; and the youngest son, Benjamin. At 24 years old, Ella is already a grown woman, while Benjamin is only 13. Jeff, who passed away at the young age of 17, would have been 32 this April 13, 2024.
Jeff Travolta had autism and suffered from a history of seizures reportedly caused by the Kawasaki disease. On Jan. 16, 2009, the Travolta family was enjoying a vacation in the Bahamas when Jeff suffered a sudden seizure in the bathroom of the Old Bahama Bay Hotel. At first, police reports conjured that the boy could have hit his head on the bathtub, blaming the impact for the tragic loss of the Travolta family. However, the death report of Jeff underlines how the seizure itself was responsible for the death, and the coroner found no signs of head trauma.
As if the loss of a child wasn’t painful enough, Travolta was also blackmailed by three people who allegedly threatened to sell pictures of Jeff’s dead body to the highest bidder. The extortion plot involved a Bahamian senator and a close family friend. After a lengthy court battle, Travolta and Preston eventually dropped the charges, preferring to put the whole thing behind them instead of being forced to continue reliving the death of Jeff.
Although Jeff was taken early, Travolta keeps honoring his late son. The actor frequently remembers the late members of his family in social media posts, underlining how they are still together in spirit, even if they are no longer present physically. It’s a hopeful way of looking at loss, showing how it didn’t alter Travolta’s capability to love and deeply care for those who are no longer with him.
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