This Is Her: Writer Jas ‘JasFly’ Waters Dies at 39; Hollywood and Hip-Hop Insiders Celebrate Her Life

On Wednesday afternoon, a dark cloud covered the Black Twitter timeline as news was released that Jas “JasFly” Waters (NBC’s This Is Us, Showtime’s Kidding) had died.

The official This Is Us writers’ room account confirmed the tragic news in a tweet.

“The entire #ThisIsUs family was devastated to learn of Jas Waters passing,” the account confirmed. “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.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Waters’ cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Waters wrote on the critically acclaimed show from 2017-2018. Born in 1981 in Evanston, Illinois, Waters racked up jobs across industries such as writer, author, director, journalist and television personality.

Per THR:

Waters also worked on shows such as Comedy Central’s Hood Adjacent With James Davis and VH1’s The Breaks. She was a former columnist at Vibe magazine and appeared on camera in VH1’s 2013 unscripted show The Gossip Game.

In a gorgeous moment of love and support, swarms of admirers, friends, peers and co-workers took to Twitter to honor Waters’ vibrant life and the memories they shared.

DJ D-Nice posted a caption of Waters’ tweet on Instagram celebrating his evolved success during the self-isolation period captioning the pic, “This hurts. Rest peacefully, J.”

This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman also wrote a tribute to Waters, tweeting, “This news took my breath away. Jas was absolutely brilliant and had so many stories still to tell. She made an indelible mark on our show and my heart breaks for her loved ones.”

“It is with extremely heavy hearts that all of us at RMG mourn the life of our client & friend, Jas Waters,” Waters’ reps at Rain Management wrote in a statement via THR. “Jas was a talented & gifted writer, an amazing person, and a sweet soul who will be forever missed. Though she is no longer with us, her impact will be felt for years to come.”

In April, Waters tweeted, “I wonder what my next life will be like.” We know one thing: it’ll be written beautifully because it’s hers.

Rest in power, JasFly.

Update: 6/11/2020, 7:30 p.m. ET: According to People, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office has stated that Waters’ cause of death has been ruled a suicide.

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255).