NEW YORK - Actor John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston are "heartbroken" over the death last Friday 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.

The couple also issued the same message on the official Travolta website to thank well-wishers who had sent condolences.

"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."

The message on the website which had the same sign-off said the outpouring of love and condolences meant alot to the family.

"It is a beautiful reminder of the inherent goodness in the human spirit that gives us hope for a brighter future."

Jett Travolta was the only son of the 54-year-old film star and actress Preston, 46, who also have a daughter, Ella, aged eight.

The family was close-knit with everyone traveling together during film shoots and taking annual holidays.

The bond between Travolta and his son was said to have been tight with the actor calling Jett "my baby" in an interview with the Australian media several years ago.

"He's my first, and he's my heart. And he's a very special boy," Travolta said. "He's Daddy's boy...we spend a lot of time together even though I'm pretty busy."

The precise cause of Jett's death won't be known until an autopsy which is scheduled to be carried out on Monday.

There is speculation that the 16-year-old could have slipped and hit his head on the bathtub or toilet -- or both, at the family's vacation home in the Bahamas.

According to Travolta's lawyers Michael McDermott and Michael Ossi, it's unclear if a seizure caused Jett's fall, or if he had a seizure after the impact.

Jett is known to have had a history of seizures since he was a toddler and suffered Kawasaki Syndrome also known as lymph node syndrome, that affects many organs, including the skin and mucous membranes, lymph nodes, blood vessel walls, and the heart.

Jett is expected to be buried in Ocala, Florida, where the family has a home.

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."

Travolta's last movie role was the voice of Bolt a Disney animated character.

Speaking soon after the tragedy, John Travolta's lawyers told Usmagazine.com "Yesterday (Friday) was the worst day of his life."

"He is in shock. He is emotionally distraught... John and Kelly are suffering total misery. They were so close to their son. This is hard to accept." said lawyers Michael McDermott and Michael Ossi.

Ossi, later told CNN that Jett's death "was completely out of the blue."

He added that all attempts to revive Jett were unsuccessful and that Travolta had administered CPR until an emergency medical team took over and sent the 16 year old to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

-AFP/CNA/sf