RIP Jason

When I was going through the extremely difficult and emotionally taxing period when I was removed from BME, there was a very small handful of people who showed themselves to be real friends, and these people kept me going in this dark time. One of them was Jason Cartwright, who many of you may know as the programmer behind projects like IAM2. I always enjoyed talking to him, often about his software projects, my software projects, and the ones we worked on together as well. He was very bright and talented, and shared many of the ideas and ideals I have about online community software and life in general. I’m very sad to say that Jason passed away last night, far too soon. Jason helped a lot of people, and I’m sorry we weren’t able to help him in return when he needed it.

jason

The world’s a poorer place for this loss. If anyone wants to post any memories of Jason or his projects, I’ll make sure they get passed on to his family.

32 Comments

  1. Elizabeth wrote:

    I didnt know him well but had nice chats with him while he was in an administravive position at BME. I wouldnt say that I took him to task but did question how he didnt see this as betrayal of you, Shannon. I deleted my page soon after so know little of what happened to him after that. He was a nice guy and I’m sorry that he’s gone. This ride’s too short and his was even shorter. The downside of knowing as many people as you do is knowing so many who’s ride ended too soon.
    I think of Keith Alexander many times a year at least. His was the only departure that left a hole in me so-to-speak and I did rather disengage in knowing people online after his death. Fare well, Jason. Godspeed.

    Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 9:20 am | Permalink
  2. Ken wrote:

    I am shocked to hear this sad news! I got to know Jason from Iam and spent many an hour having wonderful talks with him, he had become a good friend.

    I am truly saddened by this news and loss to the world as Jason is one of those people who helped make it a better place to be in.

    Peace my friend Jason.

    Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 9:44 am | Permalink
  3. darcy wrote:

    I am so shocked to read this, I never met Jason but we did chat on IAM, he was a lovely guy,always so friendly and helpful.

    Sleep well Jason.x

    Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 10:03 am | Permalink
  4. Edurus_Fas wrote:

    I (when I used to be “p7tms”) talked to Jason on IAM and IAM2. From time to time his entries mentioned things that were giving him stress, but he always seemed to find something good to look forward to.

    Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 10:25 am | Permalink
  5. Gillian wrote:

    This is so sad. I only spoke to him after he got fucked over by Rachel, but it’s always sad to hear of someone dying.

    Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 10:56 am | Permalink
  6. estrojenn wrote:

    very sad news.

    Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 1:44 pm | Permalink
  7. DON wrote:

    Wow, I am sorry to hear this.

    I got on well with him during his time on IAM: he was unfailingly helpful, friendly and co-opererative towards me, and I hope he found I returned those sentiments.

    I was pleased to have found him again after he left IAM, and I read his new blog regularly. I was saddened (and a little concerned) to see he’d written that he’d decided to abandon keeping an online presence and then closed it down.

    RIP Jason.

    Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 2:08 pm | Permalink
  8. Steph wrote:

    OMFG what the hell happened? He was my business partner and a very, very dear close & personal friend! Shannon PLEASE, PLEASE e-mail me! I, wow there are no words, I loved him to pieces and he was there for me when I needed someone the most. The world and my life will no longer be the same without him.

    Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 4:10 pm | Permalink
  9. Brad Cartwright wrote:

    It’s good to see he has good friends! I’m shocked and am speechless… He was an awesome brother

    RIP Bro

    Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 5:42 pm | Permalink
  10. Danielle wrote:

    The passing of a person gone far too young far too soon after living through so much makes me very unhappy.

    I hope he finds peace in whatever happens next.

    Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 6:30 pm | Permalink
  11. Ben (iam Mr. Gone) wrote:

    I met Jason when I first moved from Ohio here to New Mexico. I was looking for other people from IAM that lived here. He was a great guy and Im deeply saddened to hear of his passing.

    Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 8:29 pm | Permalink
  12. SadIAMer. wrote:

    Rachel: [09/09/04 @ 17:54]

    Wasn’t that tree recently in a movie?

    Also Jason Cartwright, the person who was paid 100k by an “anonymous friend” to sabotage the new BME project, has apparently died or is faking his own death.

    I wonder if he really has died if this means I’ll get all the electronic equipment he stole from me back.

    Friday, September 4, 2009 at 4:26 pm | Permalink
  13. Shannon wrote:

    That is in disturbingly bad taste, and I hope no one really said something that vile.

    Jason was a brilliant programmer, and knew the guts of the BME code and servers inside out. If he was actually motivated to harm it — which he would never do because that’s just not the kind of person he was — he would have been able to do it in his sleep. That’s a vicious and hateful lie and whoever is spreading it should be ashamed of themselves.

    Friday, September 4, 2009 at 5:03 pm | Permalink
  14. Joan wrote:

    Sadiamer: I expect nothing less of someone like Rachel. To speak ill of those passed and continue to spread her gossip and lies, but let her punishment lie in simply continuing to be who she is. To me that would be the hardest punishment to deal with.

    Jason was a kind and decent guy who stood by his friends when needed and sadly has left everyone behind to deal with the great loss and the void his passing has left.

    Friday, September 4, 2009 at 5:06 pm | Permalink
  15. SadIAMer. wrote:

    From my limited interactions with both Jason and Rachel I would have to agree with Joan.

    It really saddens me that something like that could be said in of all places the “Whatever” forum that used to be Shannon’s main forum on IAM.

    I also wish that I could just walk away from IAM (I did for a time when the “transition” happened) but it’s just too valuable an information and contacts source to leave right now.

    Friday, September 4, 2009 at 5:34 pm | Permalink
  16. Phil Moore wrote:

    I used to spend hours chatting with him and p7 in iam’s infancy, and for that matter, bme’s infancy. It bothers me deeply to know that he’s gone. I will always remember his kind, if not all to ernest words. This is a true blow to any community. Best wishes to his family and friends.

    Friday, September 4, 2009 at 6:08 pm | Permalink
  17. Let me be your piggybank
    For nothing but your smell…

    Friday, September 4, 2009 at 6:09 pm | Permalink
  18. feel sorry for those that found him. i was 13 when I saw what a shotgun would do. I still see those images. those kids will see that for the rest of their lives.

    Friday, September 4, 2009 at 6:11 pm | Permalink
  19. suzanne wrote:

    Oh damn. Believe it or not I sort of came here to your site tonight looking for info on him. I was on IAM and realized I had not seen him update in ages and ages. I searched and saw his page was suspended due to a TOS violation. I figured he had a falling out with “someone” over there as many people seem to. I was hoping to find word of him here. A link maybe. I never expected this. He was such a nice guy. This is awful news. The world is truly a little darker. And I don’t say sappy sh*t like that much. No one here has said exactly what happened to him but from what I am reading it sounds bad. I am so sorry to read this.

    Friday, September 4, 2009 at 7:56 pm | Permalink
  20. Edurus_Fas wrote:

    suzanne,
    I decided to check, and while I have no way to know how long it has stated this (as I am not a member of IAM), the suspended page states: “This user is currently missing. Until we hear back from him, his page is locked.
    My heart goes out to his families- the blood relatives, and those who he made friends with between IAM, IAM2, and beyond.

    Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 12:11 am | Permalink
  21. Gillian wrote:

    Well, that’s about the harshest thing I’ve ever read about someone’s death. Rachel has definitely found a new low to stoop to, and it makes me feel sick to my stomach that that’s been said publically. Fine, believe it, but for fuck’s sake, don’t say it outloud.

    Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 4:17 am | Permalink
  22. Edurus_Fas wrote:

    I hope no one minds me posting a poem I found a while ago.

    A Memory Hug Author Unknown

    Your loss has left a hole in your heart.
    That never goes away…
    you learn to live with it.
    With acceptance of the loss and
    changes in your life, the pain lessens.
    Eventually memories fill up the space,
    but it never goes away.
    Then, when you least expect it,
    a memory spills out of the hole
    in your heart and washes
    you clean again with tears.
    Think of it as a Memory Hug

    This poem helps me in some ways about the three members of my family I lost in 2008. I hope it helps those who knew Jason too.

    Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 9:52 am | Permalink
  23. Barb wrote:

    Poor Jason. He was a really nice person.

    Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 1:54 pm | Permalink
  24. Michael wrote:

    I asked Rachel politely, to unbar his IAM account, given the circumstances. She called him undedicated, slandered him profusely, and told me that I offended her.

    I’ll never forget him for giving me my dream.

    Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 10:49 pm | Permalink
  25. Jon P wrote:

    I was just explaining to my partner about BME as I was contemplating selling my BME trading cards (I met my partner after I left IAM due to the Rachel takeover a couple years ago), and then I read the comments here and had to explain who Rachel is. She’s just a vile person. A vile vile person and the best thing I could have ever done for my life was to leave IAM when Shannon left. I don’t want to hijack this away from the fact a special person has died but it’s in these moments you find out who the monsters are. Rachel is a monster. It’s sad what happened to IAM and it’s something I’ll always lament.

    Sunday, September 6, 2009 at 4:33 am | Permalink
  26. Kiarelle wrote:

    I never met Jason, just followed him through his blog. I was shocked to see this, and somehow will miss him without ever having met him.

    Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 9:07 pm | Permalink
  27. estrojenn wrote:

    i wonder what happens in a person’s life to make them so hateful and fucked up. i can’t imagine anyone i know thinking its appropriate to post something like that about a dead person online. classless, but then again, that’s exactly what i would expect from her.

    Friday, September 11, 2009 at 5:04 am | Permalink
  28. ELY M. wrote:

    I am shocked that he did killed himself at school :( I wish he would seek for help.
    I had spoke with him on iam2 and iam. he was nice person.

    Friday, September 25, 2009 at 8:29 am | Permalink
  29. MrHorus wrote:

    2 years this month.

    Gone, but not forgotton.

    Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 6:43 am | Permalink
  30. Steph wrote:

    MrHorus:
    Forgive me if I seem rude, but the anniversary of his death is September 3rd.
    His would be 30th birthday is coming up though next month.

    Friday, March 18, 2011 at 2:46 pm | Permalink
  31. MrHorus wrote:

    Indeed.

    It was only after posting that I remembered that Americans write the month and the day the other way round.

    My bad.

    Friday, March 18, 2011 at 2:52 pm | Permalink
  32. Steph wrote:

    C’est la vie! We’re all allowed to make mistakes.

    Even I… He would have been 31 next month. Oops!

    If it makes you feel any better that whole numerical date thing throws me off too and I live in Canada lol >.<

    Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 12:54 pm | Permalink

2 Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Tales from the bathroom stall » Blog Archive » Dear Jason on Monday, September 7, 2009 at 11:01 pm

    [...] clue in (sorry Carly) and then for some unforeseen reason I went onto Shannon’s blog and read the news there.   Shannon of course being ever so tactful didn’t say why but deep down I knew.  So I [...]

  2. Shannon Larratt is Zentastic › A Busy Week on Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 6:30 pm

    [...] and I forgot… I’ve been doing some interviews for my memoirs, talking to friends of Jason’s to try and really understand him. I think that the best way to do someone justice is to [...]

Wow Shannon, that's really annoying! What is it, 1997 on Geocities? Retroweb is NOT cool!

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