Actor Nelsan Ellis has died. He was
39.
According to The Los Angeles Times,
Ellis died of complications from heart failure.
Ellis is best known for playing the
flamboyant Lafayette Reynolds on HBO's vampire drama True Blood.
The series was created by Alan Ball, who is openly gay, and included
many gay and bisexual characters. (Ball
once said that most vampires are inherently bisexual.) In a
statement he called Ellis “a singular talent whose creativity never
ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege.”
HBO said in a 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.”
Anna Paquin, who played Sookie
Stackhouse on the show, tweeted: “It was an utter privilege to work
with the phenomenally talented and deeply kind soul .@OfficialNelsan
I'm devastated by his untimely death.”
(Related: True
Blood's
Anna Paquin says nobody cares she's bisexual.)
“Very disturbed and sad that Nelsan
Ellis has died,” messaged out actor Denis O'Hare. “Such a huge
talent. Such a wonderful man. The world is a poorer place today...”
Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie
Stackhouse series, added: “Nelsan Ellis, you will truly be missed.
Such a great talent gone far too soon. [heartbreak emoji].”