I will miss him dearly. RIP Zwerg (aka Jason Betts). We hadn’t spent much time together in the past few years but we have always had a special bond. It was a true privilege to know this kind soul and work on art with such a fiercely creative genius. Love you, friend.
I know you are at peace. It is with profound sadness, that we announce the passing of our beloved son, Jason Willis Betts. He left this imperfect world on Tuesday, March 5th, 2024, so that his spirit could soar into the light of eternity. Jason was a true light in this world. Born in Moncton, NB, on October 4, 1977, Jason was a gifted visual artist, musician and actor, winning several piano competitions at the Greater Moncton Music Festival at an early age. Jason graduated with honours from Moncton High School in 1995.
He received the Theatre New Brunswick, Mardi Cockburn Award, for Performer Demonstrating the Most Professional Potential in the New Brunswick Drama Festival. He received a Bachelor of Arts with distinction from Crandall University in 2000 and earned a Bachelor of Education from UNB as well as a TESL Certificate in 2010. He was a much loved music teacher at MHS and HTHS.
In 1997, he won the Best Male Actor Award in the Atlantic Film Festival. This landed him representation with a top agent in Toronto where he worked for 6 years as an actor. His first self-produced DVD, “To Stand, Kneel” (the Parable of The Ten Virgins) was released in 2004 and was played on Much Music.
It featured members of the Finnish Salaam Pentecostal and Airport Churches (Toronto). He appeared in several TV series and movies including CTV’s “Blessed Stranger” about the Swiss air disaster. He returned to New Brunswick in 2006 and focused on his music, releasing 8 CDs and earning 11 Music N.B. Award nominations.
His one man band, Zwerg, released 10 music videos airing on Much More Music. For the last 12 years, he lived in a log cabin on the Bartibog River surrounded by woodland creatures and without internet or TV. Writing and recording music and videos was his passion. In 2022, he signed a recording contract with Emm Gryner’s Dead Daisy Records.
Several songs and videos from this album, “Centurion”, have already been released and a full album will follow. Jason was deeply spiritual, a musical genius, incredibly eccentric with an iridescent soul which he expressed through ultra-realistic portraits, contemporary avant-garde art and his heart felt music. In addition to his parents, John and Dr. Rolene Betts, Jason is survived by his sister Jessica Leigh Hudson (Derick) and brother, Jared Andrew Betts; as well as his nieces Leah and Vaida and nephews Isaiah and Bentley; his extended family and many loving friends. Jason was predeceased by his maternal grandparents John & Millie Thiele, and his paternal grandparents Eldon & Gretta Betts as well as his best friend, soul mate and partner, Tim O’Brien.
Dr. Jason Betts says he has an IQ somewhere between 163 and 172. If we’re making comparisons, Einstein’s was reportedly around 160. It’s a level of intellect that’s one in a million, and if we compare it to the rest of Australia, Betts’ claims would make him one of the smartest people in the country.
But aside from his significant brains, Betts also has a long list of accolades and achievements. He’s a member of Mensa, the Triple Nine Society and the Prometheus society: high IQ clubs reserved for those in the upper percentiles of intellect.. He’s also worked as a “genius consultant” on shows like Child Genius, has invented multiple intelligence tests, has degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy and has written a number of books.
