NEW YORK (AFP) – Actor John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston said Sunday they were "heartbroken" over the death last week of their son Jett, 16, who was found unconscious during a family vacation in the Bahamas.

"Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered. We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief," the family said in a statement.

"We have received many messages of condolence from around the world and we want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. It has meant so much to us," the statement said, signed: "With love, John, Kelly and Ella."

Jett Travolta had a history of seizures since he was a toddler and his father's attorney said he may have suffered a lethal one on Friday.

The youth was the only son of the 54-year-old film star -- also a trained jet pilot -- and actress Preston, 46. They have a daughter, Ella, aged eight.

The precise cause of death was not known. He was expected to be buried in Florida this week following an autopsy.

Travolta, famous for roles on television and in films such as "Grease," "Pulp Fiction" (1994) and "True Colors" (1991), received Academy Award nominations for the disco epic "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) and gritty "Pulp Fiction."

Raised in Englewood, New Jersey, Travolta first gained fame in the 1970s playing a wise-cracking high school student in the television show "Welcome Back, Kotter" before he landed his role in "Saturday Night Fever."

Source: AFP