Jan 6, 2009 04:12 AM
34,707
Enter your username and password.
New York, 12:49 AM
Wed Feb 10
55 posts in the last 24 hours
Following an autopsy, the official story is now that John Travolta's son died from a seizure. Travolta's story is that his son had Kawasaki disease. It's quite possible neither is right.
Kawasaki or autism?
At a news conference late Monday, a Bahaman funeral home director and assistant director said they listed "seizure" as the cause of death on Jett Travolta's death certificate. Contrary to police reports that Jett hit his head, there was no sign of head trauma, and the body was in "great condition," the men said.
If Jett did, in fact, die from a seizure, it's worth noting that Kawasaki disease is "rarely fatal." Medical examiner Dr. Werner Spitz told E! "Death from Kawasaki is at best unusual." CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Larry King Live: "It's very rare in fact for someone to be in their teens and still have symptoms of Kawasaki."
All of which would suggest that Jett's seizures arose from another disorder. Like, say, his rumored autism. Which, per his Scientologist parents, was a mental disorder (possibly requiring a dreaded psychiatrist) he officially did not have.
Seizures or bleeding?
But what if Jett didn't die from a seizure at all? Doctors had expected a seizure diagnosis would take weeks, not hours or days.
Dr. Cyril Wecht, whose claim to punditry is having autopsied Anna Nicole Smith's son in 2007, told Fox News weeks of tests would be needed to conclude a seizure killed someone:
If it’s a convulsive seizure disorder, they won’t find anything. There is nothing of significance to find, anatomically speaking. The only way you can make that diagnosis is if you rule out everything else, including drugs in a toxicology report. If that is the case, that could take a couple of weeks.
Spitz told E!: "When seizures are the cause... the absolute cause would take at least two weeks so everything can be tested."
If not by seizure, then how did Jett die?
Contrary to the funeral directors' statements, initial police reports suggested physical trauma. And early Tuesday, TMZ quoted anonymous "people in the bathroom" with Jett backing up that account and refuting the funeral directors' revised history:
Jett had suffered a seizure and struck either the toilet or the wall as he collapsed. He was "bleeding in several areas," including his mouth. He had no cuts but did have bruises on his body. Jett had also been bleeding internally.
If Jett had been bleeding for an extended period of time, that would sharpen the questions about whether Travolta's nannies, including his rumored gay lover, were qualified caregivers.
Despite what is written on the death certificate, the final word will come weeks from now, from the official autopsy report, inclusive of related tests. Barring objections by the police, only Travolta and his wife will have access to the report, leaving Jett's death as much of a mystery as they wish to keep it.
(Top pic from Getty; second pic from Entertainment Tonight.)
Send an email to Ryan Tate, the author of this post, at ryan@gawker.com.
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
Start a new discussion