We are incredibly saddened to announce that we have lost a member of the CTV Vancouver Island news team. Jett Bassi died of cancer on Friday April 14, 2017. He was 39.
Jett joined CTV Vancouver Island in 2012, moving his family from the Lower Mainland to Nanaimo, to serve the mid-island region as a News Reporter and Videographer. He leaves behind his wife Sandy, their two sons Roman and Bobby, his parents and a large extended family.
And he leaves behind all of us.
In our newsroom, Jett was a symbol of loyalty, dedication, and respect. They are qualities he embodied and lived, day in and day out. He was passionate about his family, his culture, and his community, and every day he put that passion into his work.
Journalism as a career attracts different people for different reasons, Jett’s reason was so defined and so clear. It was his way of serving his community, and his desire to serve knew no bounds. For Jett, it was never “good enough,” he was always pushing himself to do more, to be stronger, to do it better. And it was never for himself, it was always for the good of his community.
As serious and focused as Jett was, he very much had a lighter side. Jett had a great sense of humour, and could find a way to laugh in any situation. The first time we sent him to Tofino to cover heavy storms, he jumped in his truck and hit the road without packing an overnight bag, such was his drive and determination when it came to getting the story. Not long after arriving, he called into the newsroom to say he got the story, but there was a bigger problem – he couldn’t find anywhere that sold hair gel. How could we expect him to go on the air like that? We think he was half-joking, but regardless, he was very serious about his style. He would also launch passionate arguments in favour of anything to do with soccer, Manchester United especially, and his beloved sport of kabaddi. His dedication to covering kabaddi took him around the world, and earned him respect everywhere he went. His legacy will live on in so many places, embodied in his sons Roman and Bobby, young men Jett was so incredibly proud of, and who he loved so much.
To us, Jett was someone to be counted on and a loyal team player to the core. Every day, he gave it everything he had. He treated everyone he encountered with the utmost respect. And, through everything, he always found a way to make us laugh.
That is how we will remember him.
Funeral Services:
3 p.m. on Saturday, April 22nd 2017
Riverside Funeral Home and Crematorium (Five Rivers)
7410 Hopcott Road, Delta, B.C.
Antim Ardass at No 5 Rd Gurudwara Sahib, Richmond BC
Family Memorial Fund:
