This week’s Star Magazine cover and cover story is about Kelly Preston and John Travolta, and how they’re being “torn apart by grief”. The story crosses a line, I think, into a gross invasion into how they’ve been handling their son Jett’s death in January. However, Kelly and John both gave interviews to People Magazine and issued statements after Jett’s death, so is this kind of story inevitable? I don’t know. Kelly Preston was scheduled to speak about Jett at a California Women’s Conference in October, but on Friday she released a statement saying that she was “still deeply in the process of healing, and it’s just too soon.” But if it was too soon, then why the People cover story in April?
Since Jett’s death, there has been a series of stories questioning both John Travolta’s involvement in the Church of Scientology, and with Jett’s medical treatment. While I still have a lot of questions and theories about all of that stuff, I know I’ll probably never get an answer. One thing I’m quite sure of is that John Travolta is absolutely devastated with the loss of his son. Star reports (accurately I believe) that John “can’t let go” and that he spends most of his time locked away in the Florida estate. A source tells Star, “After Jett died, John and Kelly were totally bonded by their shared grief… [but now there is] a gap between them that seems to be growing.” John is described as staying in bed, secluded, withdrawn, and the source claims John is “in emotional shutdown” and “bitter because he can’t understand why Jett was taken away from him.” Star even quotes Denzel Washington, who says “John is struggling… one moment he’s okay, the next he’s in tears.”
Meanwhile, Kelly Preston has been throwing herself into work. She has spent most of the year in Los Angeles and Hawaii with their daughter Ella, and Kelly just completed her role as Miley Cyrus’s mom in The Last Song. She’s just about to head to Canada to film another movie, Casino Jack. My guess is that Kelly is dealing with her grief by simply giving herself something to occupy her mind temporarily, while John seems be in the middle of a very severe emotional breakdown. They’re both coping the best way they can, and it’s sad to think that they can’t figure out a way to help each other.
Wow, for once I can’t bring myself to unleash the verbal hellfire on John’s head.
I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child. My heart breaks for them.
It’s so sad to see a union of so many years to be tested to its limits by this tragedy. I hope they are able to pull through.
hope they both heal and come to terms with the loss.
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Wasn’t it their choice not to treat his autism because they’re CoS freakazoids? Maybe they’re having such a hard time because it was preventable/treatable and he died cause they opted not to?
They’re not coping together because Kelley has her boyfriend to comfort her and John has his boyfriend to comfort him. I cannot imagine how gutted they both must be regardless of any religion or rumors that was still their child. I just don’t think they have a typical husband/wife relationship that could bear that burden of grief.
What parent wouldn’t feel the pain anger and grief that they are feeling when you lose a child, most marriages do not last when there is a death of a child.
All that inner turmoil of guilt, warranted or not of should they have done this and not that, has got to be numbing at the least.
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But The Star should fire who ever did that crappy PHOTOSHOPPED of Kelly.
sometimes an event occurs that is so horrendous, it makes it impossible to go on as one did before it happened.
Although, the traumatic event is not positive, this one outcome of it truly is a positive because it requires an honest appraisal of one’s self and one’s life.
If John and Kelly can’t pick up the pieces and move on together, then there’s a reason, and it’s better to face it with honesty and move apart.
“If John and Kelly can’t pick up the pieces and move on together, then there’s a reason, and it’s better to face it with honesty and move apart.”
That’s right just walk away with out getting outside help for their grief in this throw away society if, it doesn’t work, just give up.
Nothing is worth it anymore just move on to the next best thing.
It’s one thing to give an interview in private and another to speak in front of a whole bunch of people. Anyway, everyone grieves in their own way. Let them be and don’t be so quick to judge. It’s been over 20 years since my 1st hubby was killed and his mom is still grieving (he was her oldest). The “happy” pills only work temporarily.
What db said – it probably hadn’t fully hit the poor woman in April.
The cover seems extremely intrusive to me. Their grief should be private and not a different hook to bait gullible readers.
Waving goodbye to Brenda. Be sure to change your screen name when you come back tomorrow.
Autism is not “preventable/treatable” per se. There are therapies that help. Jett had co-occurring seizure disorder, also common in children who have autism, and died because he fell during a seizure.
As I understand it, he had been on anti-seizure meds but they had stopped working, which is common with most meds after time.
Please educate yourself about autism. http://www.autismspeaks.org.
I believe that Kelly runs the Travolta home and that she made decisions about Jetts welfare and that is blaming her in some way for Jetts death because if she made the choice to take Jett off the seizure drugs and not to place him on another med? She denies that Jett had Autism because she believes that COS is the ALL GREAT CHURCH and I have this feeling that John doesn’t believe that and this marriage is in deep trouble because now John wishes that hw had done something instead of following the bs COS gave them. We lost a daughter and I would never have left my husbands side while he was mourning like John is..never.
Ditto, Sally. While I may have had problems with the fact that Jett’s parents did not publicly acknowledge his autism or give him treatment to help him live a more independent life, that doesn’t appear to have anything to do with his death. Legitimate autism “treatments” are education-based, and will do nothing to prevent a seizure.
That being said, when Jett first died I (and many others) wondered if his parents had tried some new Scientology medication/supplements (read: snake oil) and that those meds had been the real cause of his death. It would make sense, since his seizure meds had stopped working and they had flown him out to Clearwater, $cientology’s headquarters. (Desperate people do desperate things, especially under the pressure of their “religious” authority figures.) No evidence has come out about this, however – not even murmurs of a coverup – so I guess Jett’s death was truly an unpreventable tragedy.
Medication is flawed. There are always side effects, which often lead to problems that are more detrimental than the original disorder.
It makes sense to try natural therapies for all diseases, frankly. I can’t fault John or Kelly if they tried herbs, etc. I do wish, however, that they had the autism experts working with him. They certainly had enough money to get the best speech, occupational and behavioral therapists. I’m sure Jett would have responded well.
Regardless, he is gone. And losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to anyone in this life. They will never, ever get over it. It is so sad to hear of their heartbreak.
Highdy and Sally, please be careful what you say about anti-seizure medications. Seizure meds allow a lot of people with epilepsy to lead a more normal life. When a person seizes, they are at risk for injury by fall, drowining or car accident. Good seizure control allows people to do activities they otherwise couldn’t. Poor control of seizures actually damages the brain. My epileptic friend is well over 60 and her medications still “work”.
Sometimes seizure meds do have to be changed because of side effects. NO medications, even supposedly natural ones, are completely without risk. That’s life and if you don’t believe me, stop driving in cars, flying in airplanes, or getting out of bed in the morning.
Also, it’s risky to suddenly go off seizure meds, your body needs time to adjust. It should be done under a doctor’s (and preferably a neurologist’s) supervision.
Please think carefully before you make blanket comments like that.
::Medication is flawed. There are always side effects, which often lead to problems that are more detrimental than the original disorder. It makes sense to try natural therapies for all diseases, frankly.::
Yes, medications aren’t perfect, but Jett Travolta died specifically because he WASN’T medicated. Everyone wants to take natural things over pharmaceuticals, but the reality is that not everything can be cured by vitamins (contrary to Tom Cruise 101). I don’t see people taking Vitamin C to cure cancer. Seizures need special treatment, especially if you have frequent severe episodes as Jett did. Those meds aren’t perfect but they are the best our society has to offer at present and if the Travoltas were any other couple they would be in jail right now for not medicating their child for their beliefs, much as many other parents who make such decisions that lead to their children’s deaths are convicted of criminal charges. These people could afford him the best health care and chose not to address his illnesses and problems. If I were them, I’d be feeling massive guilt now too. The only one here I feel for is Jett. Another victim of parental irresponsibility.
i understand what john is going thru.. i lost my brother in 2006 of cancer, he was 43. My mom still cannot cope with his lost nor can i nor my other brother. and now on sept 6 would be 3 years i miss him more and more everyday,, but we must go on .. i mean i have a son and i know that he would want me to keep going.. john needs to be strong and keep going,u have your daughter and wife and family and lots of friend that will be there for you.. he will always be there and u will NEVER forget him…his memories will live forever and the love u have for him will be for eternal…
Message to John – Please guys, please… be strong! I know this is unbelievable and the most horrifying tragedy any family can experience.
But you guys are true roll-models to everyone. Please love each other like you used to. Think of Jett, he would like you to be together, loving each other, stronger than ever. Thinking of him and keeping him in your memory forever. Tragedy itself is enough of tragedy, do not let it expand even more. Whole World is thinking of you, please do not give up.
And all of you who didn’t have anything wise to say, better keep your mouth shut. It’s for everyone’s own good. Feeding on other people’s tragedies is nothing you can brag about.
Love to your beautiful family John and Kelly, from ours.
Sasha
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