As family members and fans anxiously awaited the results of an autopsy Monday, the mystery of 16-year-old Jett Travolta’s death only deepened. Amid allegations that the teen suffered from seizures as a complication of untreated autism — supposedly ignored because his Scientologist parents didn’t believe in the condition — TMZ reported that Jett had been on seizure medication, but it hadn’t helped him.
John Travolta’s attorneys told the paparazzi site that Jett’s grand mal seizures were “frequent and extremely serious,” occurring more than once a week. A drug helped at first, reducing the frequency of the episodes to about once every three weeks … but after “several years,” the medication ceased to be effective, and the frequent seizures resumed.
Fearing side effects, Jett’s parents apparently took him off the meds in consultation with neurosurgeons. The site notes there is no suggestion that stopping the medication contributed to Jett’s final fatal seizure on Friday.
Meanwhile, John and wife Kelly Preston spoke out for the first time since their son’s untimely death, posting a poignant online statement that read, “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. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives.”
Sib for Harlow?
When Nicole Richie got pregnant with daughter Harlow, she seemed like an unlikely candidate for domesticity. But the former “Simple Life” star has so taken to motherhood that, according to Star magazine, she’s prepping her body to conceive a second child with baby-daddy Joel Madden.
“Nicole simply told Joel that she wants another baby right away,” a pal reportedly told the mag. “He was a little overwhelmed at first, but now he’s with her 100 percent. They’re both thrilled about adding to their family.”
After a “rough patch,” says a source, “now things are amazing between them. Nicole knows it’s because they’re both so happy with Harlow, and she truly believes another baby will double their commitment.”
Well, sometimes it works that way … and sometimes it doesn’t.
Odd Couple Alert
Now this has to be one of the most bizarro celeb romance rumors we’ve ever heard. (And we’ve heard a lot of ’em.) Reports claim legendary bachelor George Clooney and serial dater Paris Hilton recently dined together in West Hollywood. Whaaat?
OK, so the group meal wasn’t a one-on-one — the odd cast of characters included director Ridley Scott and the winner of Paris’ MTV “My New BFF” competition. (This just gets weirder and weirder.) But an onlooker opined to Life & Style magazine that “it looked like a first date that they brought pals on to make it not look like a first date.”
“George couldn’t keep his eyes off Paris,” another witness relayed to the tab. “They were laughing and smiling at each other throughout the night.”
Another source seconded to In Touch, “Paris was flirting big time, and George was soaking it up … you could tell they were really into each other. They definitely plan to get together in the new year.”
If they’re dating, we thought George had better taste than that. And if they’re working on a project together … well, we really thought George had better taste than that.
Double Dating?
Jeremy Piven may have been too ill from high mercury levels to finish his run in Broadway’s “Speed-the-Plow” — but his condition allegedly hasn’t gotten in the way of his womanizing. Page Six reports that the skirt-chasing actor not only hooked up with a waitress at NYC hot spot Mansion, he’s also been seeing the club’s hottie hostess.
“They went out several times, and she saw him the day before he became sick and had to leave the play,” a source snitched, adding, “He was fine with her, though.”
If Jeremy keeps insisting in interviews that he’s nothing like Ari Gold, why does he act more like an “Entourage” character every day?
Kitty Raymond is an entertainment writer and astrologer. She welcomes feedback at [email protected].
