Preston In Tears As Travolta Recalls Son’s Death

KELLY PRESTON broke down in tears as her husband JOHN TRAVOLTA recalled the tragic events leading up to their son JETT’s death in January (09) when he gave evidence at an extortion trial on Wednesday (23Sep09).

The Grease star’s 16-year-old son died after suffering a seizure during a family holiday in the Bahamas.

Former Bahamian Senator Pleasant Bridgewater and paramedic Tarino Lightbourne, who tended to the boy after the attack, are currently on trial in the Bahamas on charges of extortion.

They are accused of conspiring to release a document containing information about Jett’s death in a $25 million (£17.2 million) bribery plot against the Travoltas - claims they deny.

Travolta, a star witness in the trial, took the stand on Wednesday and relived the painful moments in which he realised he had lost his son.

The actor publicly admitted for the first time that Jett was autistic and told the court how he desperately attempted to resuscitate the teenager as he lay dying in Preston’s arms.

He said, “I took the place of the woman doing CPR. (Friend) Jeff Kathrein was doing compression, I was doing breathing… My wife was holding up his (Jett’s) head.

“Shortly after, the defibrillator arrived. (Kathrein) and I fitted my son with the defibrillator.”

As Preston struggled to regain her composure in court, Travolta revealed there was an unexpected delay in the lengthy journey from the family’s holiday home to the local hospital - when the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) changed shifts.

He added, “There was a stop where there was a switching of EMTs. I was asked to leave the ambulance.”

Jett was rushed into the emergency room upon arrival at the hospital, where doctors tried unsuccessfully to revive him.

It was then that Travolta realised, “No, he was not alive.”

The actor is expected to return to the stand on Thursday (24Sep09) to continue his testimony.