Travolta family back in Florida with son's ashes
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 | 11:59 AM ET
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Actor John Travolta, second left, poses with his daughter Ella Bleu, left, wife Kelly Preston, right, and son Jett in an undated family photo. (Rogers & Cowan/Associated Press) Actor John Travolta and his family are back in their Ocala, Fla., home from the Bahamas, along with the ashes of his teenage son who died of a seizure.
Obie Wilchombe, a Bahamian politician and friend of the family, confirmed Tuesday the family flew back late Monday night after getting an urn with Jett Travolta's ashes.
"Everything was in place, the cremation was completed, and they decided to leave," said Wilchcombe.
Keith McSweeney, a funeral home director on Grand Bahama Island, had said on Monday that the 16-year-old's remains were being cremated.
No funeral plans have been announced.
Ocala Mayor Randy Ewers said the city sent the Travolta family condolences.
Jett Travolta, in an undated family photo, had Kawasaki Syndrome as a toddler and also suffered from asthma. (Rogers & Cowan/Associated Press)
"They're fantastic people, really family oriented," Ewers said. "We want to respect their privacy as much as possible."
Jett, who had a history of seizures, was found unconscious in a bathroom Friday morning at the family's vacation home.
Initial reports had said Jett hit his head on the bathtub, indicating that may have been a cause of his death.
However, an autopsy performed by two pathologists on Monday —and observed by Travolta's family doctor — concluded that Jett died from a seizure. No other details have been released.
Travolta, who released a statement Sunday saying he and his wife are "heartbroken" over their son's death, reportedly gave his son mouth-to-mouth in an attempt to revive him.
Michael McDermott, an attorney for Travolta, said Jett was never left alone and was always in the company of two nannies.
One of his caretakers, Jeff Kathrain, found him in the bathroom late Friday morning. McDermott said he doesn't believe the teen was in the bathroom for very long.
Travolta, who made his mark in films such as Grease, Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction, and his actress wife, Kelly Preston, have both said that Jett suffered from Kawasaki Syndrome when he was a toddler, which inflames blood vessels.
Jett also suffered from asthma. Preston has said she blames household cleaners for both conditions and undertook a program of detoxification based on a Church of Scientology program.
Travolta and Preston are members of the church. The couple also have an eight-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu.
With files from the Associated PressShare Tools
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