Freaks and Geeks and Popular TV show actor Ron Lester dead at 45. Photo: Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock.com.

Gone too soon, actor Ron Lester, featured in the Freaks and Geeks and Popular  TV shows has died too young, at the age of 45. TMZ  reports the actor, who rose to fame in the 1999 feature film, Varsity Blues, had been hospitalized for four months and had requested to be taken off life support. Lester reportedly died of liver and kidney failure and had been in hospice care.

Lester’s  TV series roles include playing Seidleman on the first and (sadly) only season of Freaks and Geeks, which was cancelled by NBC in 2000, after only one perfect (if horribly mis-scheduled) season of 18 episodes. Lester also played Michael “Sugar Daddy” Bernadino, on Ryan Murphy‘s Popular  TV series dramedy, which was cancelled by The WB, after two seasons totaling 43 episodes.

Lester’s other TV series appearances include guest spots on Cousin Skeeter (1999); Sabrina the Teenage Witch (2001); and CSI: NY (2005). The last professional credit listed on his IMDb profile is as “Coach Kaz” in the Bomb City feature, which, as of this report, is still listed as “filming.”

In addition to Varsity Blues, Lester’s other feature film work includes: Good Burger (1997); Dill Scallion (1999); Not Another Teen Movie (2001); The Greenskeeper (2002); The Fat Boy Chronicles (2010); and Racing Legacy (2015).

We invite you to remember Mr. Lester and his career, below.