In a letter released Monday, John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, thanked the people of Ocala for treating them as family in the aftermath of their son's death in the Bahamas. The couple also advised them to cherish their loved ones and friends "like there was no tomorrow."

Jett Travolta, 16, died at the family's vacation home in Grand Bahama earlier this month. The couple lives in a sprawling $8 million home in Jumbolair Aviation Estates, a luxury Ocala subdivision that has its own airstrip.

They held a memorial service for Jett on Thursday. He had a history of seizures and was found unconscious in a bathroom. A Bahamas undertaker said the teen's death certificate listed "seizure" as the cause of death.

The letter's salutation was to the people of Ocala, and it was sent by e-mail from Travolta's attorney Michael McDermott.

"What we have experienced in Ocala transcends neighborly civility. We have been treated as family. Although we lost a good part of the joy and radiance of our family, your embracing us as a member of your own has helped us to contend with our loss," the letter read.

The letter, which ends "Love John, Kelly and Ella" -- their daughter -- said that every person they have encountered has offered help. "In parting, we want all of you to cherish your loved ones and your friends like there was no tomorrow, to live your lives to the fullest by continuing to help one another, and to be true to yourselves."