John Travolta Pays Tribute to Late Son Jett in Emotional Birthday Post
John Travolta is honoring his late son Jett. On what would have been his 30th birthday, the American Crime Story actor, 68, took to social media to share a moving tribute to Jett, whom he shared with his late wife, Kelly Preston.
Sharing a throwback black-and-white photo of himself and Jett, the actor penned a message to his late son reading, "My dearest Jetty, I miss you more than words can say." The actor concluded, "I think about you every day. Happy Birthday. Love, your Dad." The emotional post drew dozens of messages of support, including from Travolta's daughter, Ella Bleu, who replied to her father's post, "Happy Birthday Jetty, we love you so much," alongside a red heart emoji. Family friend Jamie Lee Curtis added, "Oh John. My hand in yours. X j," with model Emma booth writing, "Happy birthday Jett."
Jett died in January 2009 at the age of 16 after he suffered a seizure and hit his head on a bathtub while the Travolta family was vacationing in the Bahamas. He was taken to Rand Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. At a young age, Jett was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, which caused him to have seizures.
"I'll never forget this day. I saw him lean over and hug his son and kiss his son and tell him he loved him and I did everything I could," a paramedic on the scene told ABC News of Travolta's last moments with his son. "I saw love in his eyes, I saw love. [Travolta] hugged him, put his arm around him, kissed him on the forehead and the cheek and told him he loved him. He then turned to me and gave me a hug and said, 'You guys did a wonderful job.'"
Jett's birthday comes less than three months before the second anniversary of his mother's death. Preston passed away in July 2020 following a two-year battle with breast cancer. She was 57. Travolta shared news of his wife's passing on Instagram, writing "with a very heavy heart" that his wife "lost her two-year battle with breast cancer." He said that she "fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many." Travolta and Preston married in 1991 and had Jett the following year. They had two more children in the years that followed – Ella Bleu in 2000 and Benjamin in 2010.