Nelsan Ellis who played the flamboyant Lafayette Reynolds in ‘True Blood’, died after complications from heart failure. The rising star was only 39.
The horror-drama series ‘True Blood’ has presented the world the gifted actor Nelsan Ellis, his character was jovial and full of charm. Ellis appeared in True Blood from 2008 until the series ended in 2014. Unfortunately, the life and career of Ellis were interrupted on July 8 by the complications from heart failure.
“Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege,”
said executive producer Alan Ball, and HBO bosses added that:
“We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis.”
HBO and Nelsan: the legendary partnership
Nelsan was a long-time member of the HBO family for many years, after True Blood’s 80 episodes over the span of seven seasons, Ellis walked away with a handful of awards, among them were two statuettes of Satellite Awards! The performer won also one Ewwy for best supporting dramatic actor, and a NewNowNext Award for an actor on the brink of fame.
Later, Nelsan was landing key roles in movies like “Get On Up,” “The Stanford Prison Experiment,” “Little Boxes,” “The Butler, ” and “The Help.”
The True Blood star is survived by his grandmother Alex Brown, his father Tommie Lee Thompson and his son Breon, along with seven siblings.
