Ron Lester

Lester's first acting role came when he went to Atlanta, Georgia, to appear as an extra in a commercial, which turned into a feature part. He appeared in the music video for "Kick a Little" by the country music band Little Texas in 1994.^{[citation needed]}

Lester moved to Los Angeles and began doing stand-up comedy in comedy clubs.^{[citation needed]} His first film role was in the movie Good Burger in 1997. In 1999, Lester played the role of Billy Bob in the film Varsity Blues, which would become the role he is most known for. That year he also had recurring roles on two TV drama comedies, Freaks and Geeks and Popular. He also appeared in Not Another Teen Movie, portraying a character that was a parody of his role in Varsity Blues.

Obese since childhood, at his heaviest Lester weighed 508 pounds (230 kg). In 2000, Lester underwent a gastric bypass surgery procedure called Roux-en-Y gastric bypass with a duodenal switch, losing 310 pounds (140 kg).^[3] During the procedure Lester flatlined. After the gastric bypass, he had 17 plastic surgeries to remove excess skin.^[3]

In September 2015, Lester was hospitalized due to issues with his liver and kidneys. In June 2016, he was reported to be in critical condition and in hospice care.^[4] At 9:00 PM on June 17, 2016, Lester died of liver and kidney failure shortly after his family requested that he be taken off life support. He was 45 years old.^[1]