Vancouver artist and activist Joe Average, known for his bright and colorful pop art, has died at the age of 67. Average, whose real name was Brock Tebbutt, was a passionate advocate for people living with HIV and terminal illnesses, as well as marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights.
Dr. Julio Montaner, executive director and physician-in-chief at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS , poses for a photo with artist Brock Tebbutt, also known as Joe Average, in Vancouver, on Dec. 3.Vancouver’s Joe Average was an artist, advocate and activist whose bright, multicoloured images were as multi-faceted as his existence. But his sister Karin Carson says she used to giggle about his fame and always called him by Brock, his given name. Carson, who lives in Falkland, B.C.
, outside Vernon, said her brother died peacefully in his home on Christmas Eve, frail from the medications he needed to manage his HIV-positive status, a condition he lived with for four decades. Average, who was 67, was an advocate for people living with HIV and terminal illnesses, as well as marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights. His vivid pop-style art has been a part of Vancouver’s cityscape since the 1980s, according to the citation for the Order of Canada, which he received on Dec. 12, adding to the Order of B.C. he received in 2021. His death wasn’t unexpected, Carson said, but she didn’t think it would happen so quickly, less than two weeks after he’d been in Ottawa. “We Facetimed at least once a day, every day, sometimes 10 times a day,” she said. “His goal was to get the Order of Canada, and then he had told me once he had got that, he was done.” Carson said her brother was full of “unconditional love,” and she’ll remember him most for his thoughtfulness and compassion for others, a legacy she said will live on forever through his artwork. “That’s why it was so bright,” she said. “The majority of his art is bright and colourful. It makes you smile, it brings a smile to your heart and your soul.” Average, who was born Brock David Tebbutt in 1957 in Victoria, was diagnosed with HIV at 27 years old, at a time when the diagnosis was widely considered a death sentenc
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