John Travolta and Kelly Preston remember late son Jett, here's how Ben's birth helped cope with the loss
John Travolta and Kelly Preston paid tribute to their late son Jett, who died in 2009. In his memory, the actor-actress duo posted shared Instagram messages to remember the day that would have been his 28th birthday.
Jett died while the family was on vacation in the Bahamas. The 16-year-old boy hit his head on the bathtub and breathed his last after a seizure at their vacation home at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island. His death came as a shock to the family and they decided to keep their lives private after that.
In a loving post with a black-and-white picture of him and his son, Travolta, 66, wrote, “Happy Birthday Jetty! We love you! ❤️,” and Preston also posted a lovely picture with her son, Preston also shared a photo of herself and Jett, writing, “Happy Birthday to our sweetest Jetty, we love you!!” Ella, the couple's daughter, posted a family picture and said, “Happy Birthday to my brother Jett, I love you so much ❤️❤️❤️.” A year after Jett's death, the couple welcomed their son, Benjamin into their lives.
Their son, Jett, was on the autistim spectrum and the couple have often taken to Instagram to spread awareness about the condition. She first opened up about their son in November 2012 while on an episode of 'The Doctors'. “[Jett] was autistic. He had seizures and when he was very young, he had Kawasaki Syndrome,” she said, adding, “I strongly believe as a mother, as does my husband, that there are certain contributing factors that lead to autism and some of it is very much the chemicals in our environment and in our food.”
Later, in an Instagram post, Preston wrote, "To my sweet love, Jett... you are in our hearts forever. I send love to all of the beautiful autistic children and the wonderful people who love them. May we all shine and grant love and respect to children with special needs💕 #autismawareness #autism."
It took a long time for the family to heal after the loss and they gave birth to Ben after trying to conceive for three years. In those difficult times, Ben's birth was a boon for them. “He’s given the house a renewed spirit and purpose,” Travolta told People in 2011. During a Good Morning America interview in 2016, Travolta said, “Certainly having little Ben has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to rebond after a tremendous loss.”