Actor Ron Lester, who portrayed Billy Bob in the 1999 football movie “Varsity Blues,” died Friday evening in Dallas, Texas, according to his representative Dave Bradley. He was 45.
“He was not in pain and passed away peacefully,” Bradley said. Lester’s fiancee Jennifer Worland was with Lester when he died.
He died of organ failure – specifically his liver and his kidneys, Bradley said.
Lester openly talked about his struggle with his illness on Twitter, posting in November that his “liver and kidneys are starting to heal.” He thanked Worland for her support.
At one point Lester weighed 508 pounds but lost 348 pounds according to his Twitter account. Besides his most memorable role as Billy Bob, he also had TV appearances in “Freaks & Geeks,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “CSI New York.”