John Travolta's grieving behaviour triggers fears of breakdown as he struggles to cope

Tags: florida, georgia, jeff kathrein, jett travolta, john travolta, kelly preston, miley cyrus, scientology, the bahamas, the last song.

One of the saddest stories Johnny Ikon has has to write was the sudden death earlier this year of Jett Travolta, the son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston who drowned in a bathtub in the Bahamas in January after a seizure. The family were later blackmailed by dodgy locals.

Equally sad is the rapid descent of John Travolta in the wake of the tragedy. While his wife Kelly is coping by going back to work on Miley Cyrus's new film The Last Song, John has become a virtual recluse and is known to be suffering from awful insomnia, spending time at their home in Florida driving around all night on a golf buggy. He also plans aimless flights, travelling all the way to Miami a couple of weeks ago to eat a cheeseburger then flying home.

His appearance has become distressing as he piles on weight from eating endless junk food, and he is sporting a very odd handlebar moustache. Most surprising is that rather than taking comfort in his Scientology religion, he has turned against it but is too scared to quit the organisation altogether as it's believed they are holding evidence of his previous homosexual relationships over his head and threatening to release it if he goes ahead and quits their cult.

Hollywood is also abuzz with talk of John's relationship with Jeff Kathrein, the 29-year old friend who found Jett dead on that fateful Bahamas trip. John was spotted kissing Kathrein on the steps of his private jet in 2006, and people have speculated about the nature of their relationship ever since. He's a photographer, but is often described by Travolta as his nanny.

With his wife a long distance away in Georgia, it is Kathrein that Travolta is spending all his time with as he grieves the loss of his son Jett. It will not help John avoid the rumours he's battling gay tendencies, and his unpredictable behaviour has left everyone wondering if he's experiencing a meltdown, or cracking up. I only hope that he seeks help for his feelings soon.

Image: LPK / Splash News