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Travolta Lawyer, Nanny From Tampa Bay Area

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By BAIRD HELGESON

bhelgeson@tampatrib.com

Published: January 6, 2009

TAMPA - The death of the teenage son of John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, brings new attention to their close ties to the Tampa Bay area.

Their friend and Tampa attorney Michael McDermott has been with the family since just after a nanny found Jett Travolta at the family's vacation home in Grand Bahama.

A death certificate says the 16-year-old died from a "seizure," an official with a Bahamian funeral home told The Associated Press.

Jett Travolta's remains were being cremated and his parents planned to return to the United States with the ashes today, said Keith McSweeney, director of the funeral home.

The family owns a home in Ocala.

The nanny who found the teen, Jeff Kathrein, lives in Clearwater. It's unclear how long Kathrein has worked for the family.

Kathrein and his wife, Ana, own a house on Pine Place in Clearwater, according to Pinellas County records. They bought the 1,895-square-foot house in November 2004 for $293,000.

The Kathreins also own a business called K&K Photography, which specializes in wedding and maternity photography. Included in the portfolio is a picture of Preston that reportedly ran in TV Guide magazine.

Kathrein and John Travolta made headlines in 2006 when paparazzi took pictures of the two kissing on the steps to an airplane in Ontario, Canada. The photo landed in the National Enquirer, reigniting rumors that Travolta is gay.

At the time, Travolta attorney Martin Singer issued a statement saying nothing scandalous occurred and that Preston was on the plane.

"As a manner of customary greeting and saying farewell, Mr. Travolta kisses both women and men whom he considers to be extremely close friends," Singer said then.

In an October blog posting, Kathrein reported that his wife was pregnant and due in early 2009.

Today's Birthdays

Bluegrass performer Earl Scruggs is 85. Rock musician Malcolm Young (AC-DC) is 56. Actor-comedian Rowan Atkinson is 54. Actor Danny Pintauro ("Who's the Boss?") is 33.

Source: The Associated Press

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