‘This Is Us’ Stars Mourn The Death Of Show Writer Jas Waters
The This Is Us family is mourning the death of longtime show writer Jas Waters.
The hip-hop journalist and television writer died in her Hollywood home at age 39, the Los Angeles Times reported. Waters’ cause of death was not given.
The talented This Is Us writer was best known for her work in film production and television development. She penned episodes of The Breaks and Hood Adjacent with James Davis, and she most recently was a story editor and writer on Jim Carrey’s Showtime series Kidding, per IMDB.
Waters collaborated on music videos with Diddy, Jermaine Dupri and Common and ran a popular entertainment blog, FlyStyleLife.com, before working as a columnist for Vibe magazine. She also appeared in VH1’s reality show The Gossip Game.
On This Is Us, Waters was a writer on some of the NBC drama’s biggest episodes, including the Season 2 finale “The Wedding,” the memorable Big Three trilogy, and the highly-rated “Super Bowl Sunday” episode that filled in the blanks on patriarch Jack Pearson’s death.
The This Is Us Writers Twitter account paid tribute to Waters following her death, describing their late collaborator as a brilliant storyteller and “one of us.”
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
This Is Us stars Mandy Moore, Chrissy Metz, and others also remembered Waters with tributes.
“Sending love and light to [Jas Waters’] family and loved ones,” Moore wrote.
“Incredibly shocked and saddened to have just received this news. Blessed Light, fly with the angels,” wrote Moore’s TV daughter-in-law Susan Kelechi Watson.
“We were graced with [Jas] on the show as a fantastic writer but to know her and her beautiful spirit was to love her,” wrote Chrissy Metz. “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.”
“Rest in power, Jas Waters,” wrote Niles Fitch, who plays teen Randall Pearson on the NBC drama.
This Is Us showrunner Dan Fogelman also reacted to the heartbreaking news on Twitter, writing that Waters was “absolutely brilliant and had so many stories still to tell.” The This Is Us creator added that Waters made “an indelible mark” on the show, which is currently headed into its fifth season.
In a 2018 interview with Shadow and Act, Waters spoke about how she drew from some of her real-life experiences when writing for This Is Us. She explained that she herself lost over 100 pounds, so she understood Kate Pearson’s (Metz) struggles with weight. Waters added that she could also relate to Kevin’s (Justin Hartley) story because she has been on the inside of fame in the television world and had celebrity friends. Waters even related to Randall’s (Sterling K. Brown) adoption story, as she found out that she, too, was adopted.
Waters praised This Is Us writers Dan Fogelman, Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger for being “so great” at really wanting some of the authentic stories that she pitched.
“The audience can tell what’s real and what’s not,” Waters said. “You can’t fool the audience, nor should you want to. So I pulled a lot from my real life.”
