Travolta, Preston 'Heartbroken' Over Son's Death
The couple issued their first statement since 16-year-old died on Friday.
Jan. 4, 2009— -- John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, today issued their first public statement since their 16-year-old son Jett died Friday, apparently after hitting his head on the bathtub during a seizure at their vacation home in the Bahamas.
"Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered," said the statement posted on the actor's Web site. "We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives."
Officials in the Bahamas say they have called in two forensic pathologists to perform an autopsy Monday on Jett Travolta to ensure a thorough investigation of the incident.
A possible cause of death may be known by the end of the day Monday, the Bahamas Health Minister told the Associated Press.
A house caretaker found the teenager unconscious in the bathroom on Friday morning.
"A nanny attempted to revive him, all attempts were made, but he couldn't be revived," Travolta's attorney, Michael Ossi, who is also in the Bahamas, told ABCNews.com Friday. "They tried as hard as they could to revive Jett."
An ambulance took him to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The family, including Jett Travolta's 8-year-old sister, Ella, had been celebrating the New Year in the Bahamas.
Ossi said that the teenager "has had seizures in the past, but they were controlled. This one couldn't be."
Royal Bahamas Police Force spokeswoman Loretta Mackey told the AP that Jett Travolta died from hitting his head in a bathtub.
Obie Wilchcombe, a parliament member and former tourism minister in the Bahamas, told the AP he expects a "quick resolution" for the autopsy.
Possible Role of Kawasaki Syndrome
Jett Travolta's health made national news in 2002. It was at this time that his mother disclosed that at age 2 he had had a poorly understood condition known as Kawasaki syndrome, a collection of symptoms that stem from swollen arteries.
Researchers believe that inflamation from Kawasaki syndrome, or KS, can lead to convulsions and seizures.
KS primarily affects children under the age of 5, though it can occur in older children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about nine out of 100,000 children have KS. Incidence is higher among Japanese and Korean children, though KS can occur among any ethnicity.
However, KS expert Dr. Robert Frenck, a professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious disease at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, said KS is not usually associated with deadly seizures -- especially in children who have already recovered from KS, which he said is a temporary condition.
"If there's a major complication, and if someone dies from it, it is a [coronary] aneurysm," he said. "It doesn't happen frequently, but that is what we really worry about. ... That can set the kids up for a heart attack."
Frenck added that the only type of seizure that can occur in patients with KS is a febrile seizure, which arises from a high fever.
The New York Post and other media outlets have suggested in past reports that the Travolta's son has autism, though the family has always maintained that their son's condition is KS. Autism is also associated with seizures.
"There is a relationship between autism and seizures; as many as 40 percent of children and young adults with autism may experience seizure, and adolescence is a particular time of vulnerability," said Dr. Bryan King, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Seattle Children's Hospital's Research Center for Health Services and Behavioral Research.
"There are hormonal changes that could increase the risk of seizure, and certainly there are ongoing brain changes that take place during adolescence, but no one knows why the risk increases in older children."
Travolta's Loss and Grief
Speaking for John Travolta, Ossi said, "This is the worst day of his life."
Ossi said that Dr. Mark Smith, the Travolta family doctor, plans to give a statement after the autopsy.
ABC News' Eileen Murphy, Lauren Cox and Kirk Fernandes contributed to this report.