John Travolta discussed the loss of his late son, Jett, in a new interview with “Good Morning America” on Monday. The 16-year-old, who was autistic and had a history of seizures, died in 2009 after having a seizure and hitting his head on a bathtub in the Bahamas.
“We certainly have bonded together,” the actor said about his family in the years that have passed since Jett’s death. “Certainly having little Ben has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to rebond after a tremendous loss.”
Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, have a 16-year-old daughter named Ella and 5-year-old son Benjamin, who was born after Jett’s death.
Travolta has spoken about his son’s death before, calling it “the worst thing that’s ever happened in my life” in a 2014 interview with the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, via BBC.
“The truth is, I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” the actor said. “Life was no longer interesting to me, so it took a lot to get me better.”
Preston has also opened up about the immense, overwhelming pain that comes with losing a child, but offered a message of hope to other parents who’ve experienced the same thing.
“Nobody should have to lose a child. It’s unfathomable,” the actress said in a 2012 interview with Lifetime. “But I’m here to say that you can get through it. You can live again. You can want to live again.”