{"id":54566,"date":"2017-07-09T12:20:26","date_gmt":"2017-07-09T16:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/true-bloods-nelsan-ellis-dies-at-39\/"},"modified":"2017-07-09T12:20:26","modified_gmt":"2017-07-09T16:20:26","slug":"true-bloods-nelsan-ellis-dies-at-39","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/true-bloods-nelsan-ellis-dies-at-39\/","title":{"rendered":"True Blood\u2019s Nelsan Ellis Dies at 39"},"content":{"rendered":"

True Blood\u2019s Nelsan Ellis Dies at 39<\/b><\/p>\n

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Nelsan Ellis, who played Lafayette Reynolds on HBO\u2019s True Blood<\/em>, has died at 39 due to complications from heart failure.<\/p>\n

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Variety<\/em> reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis,\u201d HBO said in a statement. \u201cNelsan was a long-time member of the HBO family whose groundbreaking portrayal of Lafayette will be remembered fondly within the overall legacy of \u2018True Blood.\u2019 Nelsan will be dearly missed by his fans and all of us at HBO.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue Blood\u201d creator and executive producer Alan Ball echoed HBO\u2019s epitaph in a statement of his own. \u201cNelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me,\u201d said Ball. \u201cWorking with him was a privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It was an utter privilege to work with the phenomenally talented and deeply kind soul .@OfficialNelsan<\/a> I’m devastated by his untimely death. pic.twitter.com\/If17csduHz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Anna Paquin (@AnnaPaquin) July 8, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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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<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Joe Manganiello (@JoeManganiello) July 8, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Octavia Spencer, Ellis\u2019s co-star in The Help<\/em>, posted this on Instagram Saturday morning:<\/p>\n

\"Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2014, Ellis ripped his co-star Luke Grimes for leaving the show after refusing to play gay<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have a child, if you have a son, and he comes out as gay<\/a>, what are you going to do? You just made a statement, and it has ripple effects. I didn\u2019t like what he did because he made a statement, and sometimes you have to take responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post True Blood\u2019s Nelsan Ellis Dies at 39<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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True Blood’s Nelsan Ellis Dies at 39<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n