Actor Nelsan Ellis, known for his work as an actor portraying the popular character of Lafayette on the vampire drama series True Blood, died due to heart failure this weekend. He was 39 years old. HBO, the network behind the series, released a statement, saying, “We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis. Nelsan was a long-time 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.” True Blood creator, Alan Ball, also paid his respects, saying “Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege.”
Ellis' other work included his performance as Martin Luther King Jr in the film The Butler, and the role of Bobby Byrd in the James Brown biopic Get On Up. His fellow True Blood castmates took to Twitter today to pay their respects.

I am speechless... I am heartbroken... Rest In Peace my friend @OfficialNelsan pic.twitter.com/nvyzM8QoI7

— Kevin Alejandro (@kevinmalejandro) July 8, 2017

Nelsan Ellis was truly remarkable. A brilliant, charismatic, intelligent, soulful, wonderful dude. this is just completely tragic.

— Stephen Moyer (@smoyer) July 8, 2017

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