Admired 'True Blood' actor Nelsan Ellis passes away at 39

Nelsan Ellis – the face behind the glitzy, sassy Lafayette Reynolds in HBO’s famed TV series True Blood – passed away late Saturday night at the age of 39, his manager said as per a leading international media outlet.

The American actor died due to heart problems – that have not been identified yet – and left behind his grandmother, seven siblings, father, and son Breon, BBC reported.

Ellis had starred in True Blood – a renowned TV show – from the start, in 2008, to the end, 2014, when the series concluded.

In its statement regarding the news, HBO mentioned the team was “extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis” and that the actor “was a long-time member of the HBO family whose groundbreaking portrayal of Lafayette will be remembered fondly”.

“He was a great talent, and his words and presence will be forever missed,” Emily Gerson Saines – his manager – commented.

The admired actor has appeared in The Help (2011) alongside Hidden Figures actress Octavia Spencer and How to Get Away with Murder star Viola Davis.

Numerous celebrities took to Twitter to express their shock and sadness at Ellis' sudden demise.