True Blood star Nelsan Ellis dies at age 39

The actor best known for playing the character Lafayette Reynolds between 2008 and 2014 died from heart failure complications.

A star of HBO's vampire series True Blood, Nelsan Ellis, has died aged 39.

The actor, from Illinois and Alabama, who is best known for playing the character Lafayette Reynolds in the series, suffered complications with heart failure.
His manager Emily Gerson Saines told US website The Hollywood Reporter: "Nelsan has passed away after complications of heart failure.
"He was a great talent and his words and presence will be forever missed."
Ellis appeared in all seven series of True Blood, a fantasy horror series about a telepathic waitress who strikes up a relationship with a 173-year-old vampire.
Ellis played the part of Lafayette Reynolds in True Blood
His character was a cook and also a drug dealer who sold vampire blood between 2008 and 2014.
He also appeared as Martin Luther King Jr in The Butler in 2012 and singer Bobby Byrd in Get on Up, a bio-pic about the life of James Brown.
Most recently he was in the independent film Little Boxes in 2016 and CBS series Elementary as the regular character Shinwell Johson.
Ellis's co-star in True Blood, British actor Stephen Moyer, tweeted: "Nelsan Ellis was truly remarkable. A brilliant, charismatic, intelligent, soulful, wonderful dude. this is just completely tragic."
Another co-star Todd Lowe said on Twitter: "So blessed to share the screen with you, you beautiful man."
Anna Paquin, who starred as Reynolds' co-worker, said: "It was an utter privilege to work with the phenomenally talented and deeply kind soul .@OfficialNelsan I'm devastated by his untimely death."