Actor Nelsan Ellis, who passed away on
Saturday, died from heart failure brought on by alcohol withdrawal,
the actor's family says
According to The Hollywood Reporter,
the 39-year-old Ellis was attempting to quit alcohol. Emily Gerson
Saines, the actor's manager, said that Ellis had struggled with
alcohol and drug addiction.
“Nelsan’s father has bravely agreed
for me to share the circumstances of Nelsan’s heart failure,”
Saines said in a statement. “Nelsan has suffered with drug and
alcohol abuse for years. After many stints in rehab, Nelsan attempted
to withdraw from alcohol on his own. According to his father, during
his withdrawal from alcohol he had a blood infection, his kidneys
shut down, his liver was swollen, his blood pressure plummeted, and
his dear sweet heart raced out of control.”
“On the morning of Saturday July 8th,
after four days in the Woodhull Hospital, Nelsan was pronounced
dead,” she added.
“Nelsan was ashamed of his addiction
and thus was reluctant to talk about it during his life,” Saines
added. “His family, however, believes that in death he would want
his life to serve as a cautionary tale in an attempt to help others.”
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.)
Ellis was a strong supporter of LGBT
rights, including same-sex marriage.
“If you want to get married to a man
then get married to a man,” Nelsan
told Vibe
in 2010. “If two women want to get married they should get
married. It’s not hurting me. The beautiful thing about this
country is that I can be a Christian and feel free to do so. Or
somebody cannot be a Christian and do whatever that entails. Or
somebody can be a Christian and still be gay and I support it. Let
gay people get married.”