'Varsity Blues' Cast: James Van Der Beek's Co-Star Ron Lester, AKA Billy Bob, Died in 2016
Following James Van Der Beek's death at age 48, tragic attention returns to another Varsity Blues loss: Ron Lester, who played beloved offensive lineman Billy Bob, died in 2016 at just 45 years old. Lester passed away on June 17, 2016, from liver and kidney failure after months of hospitalization. His death came 15 years after gastric bypass surgery that helped him lose 300-plus pounds, but significantly impacted his acting career in the process.
"Am I alive? Yes. Am I happy? No," Lester told Grantland in 2014. "Did I throw away my career to be skinny? Yes. I wouldn't do [the surgery] again. I would much rather have died happy, rich and kept my status and gone out on top."
'Varsity Blues' Star Ron Lester Died at 45 in 2016 From Liver and Kidney Failure
Following the death of Van Der Beek on February 11, 2026, after battling stage 3 colorectal cancer, Varsity Blues fans revisited the losses of Lester and another one of the duo's co-stars, Paul Walker, who died in 2013. Lester had been hospitalized since February 2016 with severe liver and kidney problems before passing away in June 2016.
In Varsity Blues, Lester immortalized the character of Billy Bob, the gentle giant offensive lineman with a signature cowboy hat and #69 jersey who delivered the film's most iconic moment: the "puke and rally" scene.
Director Brian Robbins later said of the casting (via Grantland): "Ron really is a sensitive, sweet guy. Billy Bob, as a character, was such a sensitive soul. He was Billy Bob. There was no second choice."
The role became Lester's breakout performance and defined his career, making his later struggles all the more heartbreaking.
Lester Lost 348 Pounds After Surgery, Said He 'Threw Away' His Career
At his heaviest, Ron Lester weighed 508 pounds. In 2001, two years after Varsity Blues made him a star, the decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery led the actor to lose 348 pounds, dropping to around 200. The procedure nearly killed him, as Lester flatlined during surgery, but he survived and achieved dramatic weight loss.
However, the transformation came at a devastating professional cost. Roles that had come easily when he was the "funny fat guy," as he described it, in movies like Good Burger and TV shows like Freaks and Geeks and Popular, disappeared almost entirely. His last major role was in "CSI: NY" in 2005.
Lester's story highlighted Hollywood's harsh type-casting reality: once he lost the physical characteristic that defined his roles, the industry decided it had no place for him. It was a heartbreaking story from Lester, who opened up about the decision during the aforementioned interview.
Related: Paul Walter Hauser, Who Raised $14K Before James Van Der Beek's Death, Pledges More Support