Ben Best, Eastbound & Down Co-Creator, Dies at 47

Ben Best has died. The passing of the screenwriter, best known for creating Eastbound and Down alongside Danny McBride and Jody Hill, was initially announced via the Instagram account of Rough House Pictures, the production company owned by McBride and Hill. He was 47.

Best both wrote and starred in Eastbound for HBO, appearing as Clegg in eight episodes throughout the show’s brief four-season run. Best also wrote Your Highness and The Foot Fist Way with both McBride and Hill.

“It’s with heavy hearts we say goodbye to our good buddy Ben Best. We lost him the day before he would have turned 47,” the Rough House Instagram caption reads. “A hell of a friend and a creative force. He inspired us and made us laugh. Charming and hilarious. Gone way too soon. We love and miss you.”

In addition to writing, Best also appeared in a series of various projects throughout the early 2000s. He appeared in every project we wrote, with the exception of Your Highness. Other acting credits on his resume include appearances in Superbad, What Happens in Vegas, Observe and Report, and Land of the Lost.

Best’s work stops suddenly in 2013 after receiving a handful of executive producer credits on the final season of Eastbound and Down towards the end of its run. Though McBride and Hill both continued their relationship with HBO with shows like Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones, Best isn’t credited on either program.

No cause of death has been reported.

Cover photo by J. Vespa/WireImage