True Blood Star Nelsan Ellis Has Passed Away

Actor Nelsan Ellis, best known for his role as Lafayette Reynolds on the HBO series True Blood, has passed away at the age of 39 after complications from heart failure. HBO released the following statement: “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 be dearly missed by his fans and all of us at HBO.” Ellis is survived by his son, Breon. Read his full obituary at Variety.

Crushed today by the loss of my friend and castmate Nelsan Ellis. He was a wonderful person, a pioneer, and a one of a kind artist. Watching him work was like watching someone channel a spirit. It was mesmerizing. RIP

A post shared by Joe Manganiello (@joemanganiello) on Jul 8, 2017 at 12:58pm PDT

One of the sweetest most talented men I've ever met. A terrible loss for all of us. Rest In Peace Nelsan. You will be missed. I don't know how else to put words to this terribly sad news...#truebloodforever #truebloodfamily #nelsanellis #lafayette

A post shared by Kristin Bauer (@kristinbauer) on Jul 8, 2017 at 12:58pm PDT