Nelsan Ellis — famous for his role as Lafayette Reynolds on HBO’s “True Blood” — has died at age 39.
The actor died after complications from heart failure.
“We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis,” HBO said in a statement. “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 be dearly missed by his fans and all of us at HBO.”
“True Blood” creator and executive producer Alan Ball echoed HBO’s epitaph in a statement of his own. “Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me,” Ball said. “Working with him was a privilege.”
Ellis’ “The Help” costar Octavia Spencer broke the news on Instagram Saturday morning, saying, “Just got word that we lost [Nelsan]. My heart breaks for his kids and family.”
In addition to “True Blood,” Ellis’ credits also included a lead role on “Elementary” and key parts in the films “Get On Up,” “The Stanford Prison Experiment,” “Little Boxes,” and “The Butler.”
Ellis leaves behind his son, Breon, as well as seven siblings.