Sad news to report today, especially for fans of HBO’s popular vampire dramaTrue Blood. Actor and one of the main stars of the show Nelsan Ellis haspassed awayat the young age of 39. Reps for the actor have confirmed that Ellis died due to complications from heart failure.
Nelsan Ellis was best known for playing the demon-possessed medium Lafayette Reynolds onTrue Blood. HBO addressed the news about theactor’s deathin a statement released this afternoon. They had this to say about Ellis and his contributions to the network.
“We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis. Nelsan was a long-time member of the HBO family whose groundbreaking portrayal of Lafayette will be remembered fondly within the overall legacy of True Blood. Nelsan will bedearly missedby his fans and all of us at HBO.”
True Bloodcreator Alan Ball also offered his condolences. He had this to say in a statement.
“Nelsan was asingular talentwhose creativity never ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege.”
Following his work onTrue Blood, Nelsan Ellis joined the cast of CBS' Sherlock dramaElementary. He portrayed series regular Shinwell, who was ultimately killed off in a mysterious murder plot line. Ellis also appeared in the Oscar-nominatedThe Helpalongside Emma Stone, Vioila Davis and Octavia Spencer. Spencer offered her thoughts and prayers on Instagram saying this.
“Just got word that we lost @nelsanellisofficial. My heart breaks for his kids and family. #RIPNelsanEllis. #brillIantactor #trueblood #getonup #thesoloist #thehelp”
True Bloodco-star Anna Paquin also said good-bye to Ellis on her Twitter. She offered these thoughts.
“It was an utter privilege to work with the phenomenally talented and deeply kind soul .@OfficialNelsan I’m devastated by hisuntimely death.”
True Bloodstar Sam Trammell remembered Nelsan for his ‘level of humility and kindness’ while referring to him as a ‘Magnificent Talent’. And Stephen Moyer called the actor ‘truly remarkable’ before going onto also call him ‘a brilliant, charismatic, intelligent, soulful, wonderful dude.’
Nelsan Ellis had a knack for picking out critically acclaimed movies, with his resume containing some of the best movies over the last couple of years. He played Martin Luther King Jr. inLee Daniels' The Butlerand Bobby Byrd in the James Brown biopicGet On Up. He also appeared in the 2015 Sundance favoriteThe Stanford Prison Experiment. He was last seen in the indie dramaLittle Boxes, and he’ll next appear inTrue to the Game.
Along with his star-making role onTrue Bloodand his appearance onElamentray, he starred on Fox’s short-lived seriesThe Inside, which ran for just seven episodes. He appeared as Lafayette on the Southern gothic vampire seriesTrue Bloodfrom 2008-2014.
