‘TRUE’ LOSS
Ellis, of HBO’s vampire hit, dies at 39
ACTOR NELSAN ELLIS, a breakout star of the hit HBO vampire series “True Blood,” died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 39.
The cause was complications from heart failure, according to Ellis’ manager Emily Gerson Saines. “He was a great talent, and his words and presence will be forever missed,” Saines added.
Ellis starred as the beloved short-order cook-turned-vampire blood peddler Lafayette Reynolds on all seven seasons of the gory drama that came to an end in 2014. The Illinois native landed the role — the biggest of his career — after appearing in the Fox crime drama series “The Inside.”
“Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me,” said “True Blood” creator Alan Ball. “Working with him was a privilege.”
Born in the Chicago suburb of Harvey, Ellis grew up in poverty and was raised by a rotating cast of relatives. Ellis caught the acting bug in high school, where he also distinguished himself as a top performer on the scholastic speech team.
After a brief stint with the Marines, Ellis attended Illinois State University. He went on to enroll at the prestigious Juilliard School.
Along with starring in “True Blood,” Ellis appeared in many well-received films including “The Soloist,” “The Help” and “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.”
He also scored credits in the 2015 film “The Stanford Prison Experiment” and the 2016 indie “Little Boxes.”
Ellis’ “The Help” co-star Octavia Spencer was among several stars who paid tribute to the up-and-coming actor on social media. “Just got word that we lost (Nelsan),” she wrote on Instagram. “My heart breaks for his kids and family.”
“True Blood” castmate Joe Manganiello described Ellis as a “one-of-a-kind artist.”
“Crushed today by the loss of my friend and castmate Nelsan Ellis,” Manganiello said. “He was a wonderful person, a pioneer, and a one-of-a-kind artist. RIP.”
Anna Paquin, who played the leading role of Sookie Stackhouse, also paid homage to Ellis.
“It was an utter privilege to work with the phenomenally talented and deeply kind soul.@OfficialNelsan,” she wrote on Twitter. “I’m devastated by his untimely death.”
Stephen Moyer, who played vampire lead Bill Compton, described Ellis as a “brilliant, charismatic, intelligent, soulful, wonderful dude.”
Ellis is survived by his son Breon Ellis, grandmother Alex Brown and his father, Tommie Lee Thompson, along with seven siblings, according to The Hollywood Reporter.