John Travolta pays loving tribute to late son in social media post
A Hollywood legend has gone public to honor his late son and offer fans a poignant reminder of how to move forward in the aftermath of tragedy.
Actor John Travolta posted a loving tribute on Friday to Jett Travolta on what would have been his 32nd birthday had he not passed away in 2009 during a vacation in the Bahamas, as Fox News reports.
A father's tribute
The screen star took to social media to express his thoughts about the son he lost so many years ago.
Alongside a photo of himself with Jett and late wife Kelly Preston, Travolta offered a sweet tribute on the anniversary of the boy's birth.
“Happy birthday my Jetty -- not a day goes by where you're not with me,” the Saturday Night Fever icon declared.
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Tragic death at young age
Readers may recall that Jett Travolta, then just 16 years of age, died in 2009 while his family was vacationing in the Bahamas.
The death was surrounded by numerous questions, though media reports ultimately indicated that the young man, who was said by some to have been autistic and known to suffer from seizures, suffered a head injury in a fall after just such an incident.
As NBC News noted at the time, an attorney for the family confirmed the history of seizures, and John Travolta himself had previously stated that Jett had been treated for Kawasaki syndrome in the past.
Kawasaki syndrome is a condition that can result in heart disease and other difficulties, though it was unclear whether Jett's struggle with the illness lasted beyond early childhood.
Even so, medical specialists who were asked to comment on the case -- but who had not treated Jett Travolta -- indicated that while Kawasaki syndrome was not well understood at the time, it seemed unlikely that it would have played a role in the teen's death.
John Travolta's devotion to his children has long extended not just to Jett, but also to the other two children he shared with Preston, Ella, who is now 24, and Ben, who is age 13, and his Friday post is just more proof of how profound his parental love remains, even in the aftermath of tragedy.
