John Travolta fought back tears as he spoke about losing his son Jett on the Ellen Degeneres show yesterday.

In his first TV interview since the 16-year-old's death following a seizure in January, the actor became emotional as he thanked fans for supporting his family through the tradegy.

"I just want to take one moment to thank each and every one of you throughout this country, throughout the world, for all your support and all your love for our family,” he said. “Thank you very much.”

"I'm holding back the tears," he said, as Ellen passed him a box of tissues.

On a more uplifting note, the 45-year-old star also introduced the audience to his 9-year-old daughter Ella Bleu, who co-stars with her dad in the upcoming Disney film Old Dogs.

John and wife Kelly Preston proudly let their daughter take centre stage at the movie's Hollywood premiere earlier this week.