Nelsan Ellis’s grieving family, the circumstances surrounding his death are now being connected to his substance misuse. His family made a statement through his manager Emily Gerson Saines on Monday, stating that Ellis’s death was caused by complications of his recovery from his alcohol and drug addiction. This information was cited by Hollywood Reporter.
“Nelsan’s father has bravely agreed for me to share the circumstances of Nelsan’s heart failure,” the statement read. Nelsan, who played the iconic character of Lafayette Reynolds on HBO’s True Blood, reportedly struggled with substance misuse and had been in and out of rehabilitation facilities, according to his family’s statement.
The family continues by saying that Nelsan Ellis was ashamed of the situation, which is why it has never been made public. Then they divulge the facts behind Ellis’s death. It is possible that his abrupt demise was the result of his attempts at self-initiated withdrawal from the addiction. Heart failure was initially listed as the cause of death for Nelsan Ellis.
“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.” According to the Los Angeles Times, the 39-year-old actor and LGBTQ hero passed suddenly on Saturday following four days of treatment at New York City’s Woodhull Medical Center.
His loved ones felt compelled to speak out about what happened to Nelsan Ellis in the hopes that his story could serve as “a cautionary tale” for those struggling with addiction and a message that it is acceptable to seek assistance.
“Nelsan was ashamed of his addiction and thus was reluctant to talk about it during his life. His family, however, believes that in death he would want his life to serve as a cautionary tale in an attempt to help others.” In their statement, Nelsan’s loved ones recalled him as the lovely guy he was.
“Nelsan was a gentle, generous and kind soul. He was a father, a son, a grandson, a brother, a nephew, and a great friend to those that were lucky enough to know him.” When word got out of Nelsan’s passing, his many Hollywood acquaintances and colleagues who had been moved by his skill throughout his life sent their condolences to his family and friends.
“Nelsan was a longtime 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,” HBO said in a statement released on Saturday.
Nelsan Ellis, our Lafayette, will be dearly missed by his fans, his True Blood family and all of us at HBO. pic.twitter.com/suBWrjvI4i
— True Blood (@TrueBloodHBO) July 10, 2017
At the same time, his True Blood co-stars vented their grief at the loss of a wonderful friend and actor on social media.
Crushed today by the loss of my friend and castmate Nelsan Ellis. He was a wonderful person, a pioneer, and a one of a kind artist. RIP pic.twitter.com/fvtquhIac7
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) July 8, 2017
It was an utter privilege to work with the phenomenally talented and deeply kind soul .@OfficialNelsan I’m devastated by his untimely death. pic.twitter.com/If17csduHz
— Anna Paquin (@AnnaPaquin) July 8, 2017
Members of his social circle and the actors of The Help have taken to Instagram to share memories of him in the wake of his tragic passing.
Among Ellis’s other notable roles include those of Henry the Waiter in The Help, Martin Luther King, Jr. in 2013’s The Butler, Bobby Byrd in Get On Up, and Lafayette in True Blood, which catapulted Ellis to icon status. Along with Columbus Short, he will reprise his role in the 2017 film True to the Game.
