Writer for Hit TV Show 'This Is Us' Dead at Age 39
Jas Waters’ passing was announced on Wednesday. She was 39, and her death has left her writing and television community reeling.
Many are now remembering her for her unique perspective and incredible talent, which she had been developing from a very young age.
“By the time I was 8 or 9, I was like Roger Ebert,” Waters told Shadow and Act in 2018. “I had such a grasp on what made a movie good; what made a story good.”
“I’m also a poor black kid who grew up in an old folks home. So I understand ground-level life, and I bring that perspective to everything I write.”
“From the moment I got here, the rules didn’t apply to me. If the basic rules of raising a kid didn’t apply to me, then nothing else really applies to me. So I just had to figure it out. There were several times in my life that I found to be very confining. But as I look back on it, it was very freeing.”
She had a successful writing and editing career for NBC’s “This Is Us” and Showtime’s “Kidding.” She also worked on “Hood Adjacent With James Davis,” “The Breaks” and “Vibe” magazine.
Actresses from “This Is Us” shared on social media how much they would miss Waters’ presence and gifts.
“We were graced with @JasFly on the show as a fantastic writer but to know her and her beautiful spirit was to love her,” Chrissy Metz, who plays Kate Pearson on “This Is Us” wrote in a Twitter post. “I am praying for your beautiful transition, Jas.”
“May it be full of love, light and peace. Thank you for the time we shared, your fearlessness and inspiration.”
“Incredibly shocked and saddened to have just receive this news,” Susan Kelechi Watson, who plays Beth Pearson on “This Is Us” tweeted. “Blessed Light, fly with the angels.”
“The entire #ThisIsUs family was devastated to learn of Jas Waters passing,” the official ThisIsUsWriters Twitter account shared. “In our time together, Jas left her mark on us and ALL over the show.
“She was a brilliant storyteller and a force of nature. We send our deepest sympathies to her loved ones. She was one of us. RIP.”
The entire #ThisIsUs family was devastated to learn of Jas Waters passing. In our time together, Jas left her mark on us and ALL over the show. She was a brilliant storyteller and a force of nature. We send our deepest sympathies to her loved ones. She was one of us. RIP @JasFly. pic.twitter.com/cmrh2OO8of
— ThisIsUsWriters (@ThisIsUsWriters) June 10, 2020
“Jas was absolutely brilliant and had so many stories still to tell,” Dan Fogelman, the show’s creator, wrote in a Twitter post. “She made an indelible mark on our show and my heart breaks for her loved ones.”
Waters’ cause of death has not been revealed.
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