John Travolta Testifies, Recounts Son's Tragic Death

Photo courtesy of the Travolta family

John Travolta testified in the extortion case tied to the death of his 16-year-old son Jett today, and while he remained composed as he took the stand, one can only imagine how painful it was for him to recount Jett's final moments.

Travolta told the courtroom that Eli Wheaton, one of the family's nannies first alerted him that something was wrong with Jett around 10:15am on January 2. "He was pounding on the door upstairs where we were sleeping," Travolta recalled. The actor rushed down the stairs of his family's vacation home on Grand Bahama Island, and when he finally got to Jett, he said, "Jeff [Kathrein], the other nanny, was doing some compressions. I was doing the breathing."

Travolta also confirmed that his son suffered from not only Kawasaki disease, but also autism. "My son was autistic and he suffered from seizure disorder every 5 to 10 days," Travolta told the court. "He would suffer a seizure that would last 45 seconds to a minute and sleep for 12 hours."

Paramedic Tarino Lightbourne and his attorney, former Bahamian senator Pleasant Bridgewater are accused of trying to extort $25 million from Travolta after reportedly demanding money for a document relating to Jett's death.

Travolta is expected to return to the stand later this afternoon.