Nelsan Ellis’ “True Blood” cast mates are sharing the most heartbreaking tributes to their late friend
Yesterday, True Blood fan favorite Nelsan Ellis died at 39 from heart failure. As soon as the tragic news broke, fans and cast mates of Ellis reacted by sharing their condolences and shock on social media. While Ellis was an illustrious actor known also for his roles in Get On Up, The Butler, The Help, and more, his impact on True Blood fans is immeasurable.
Ellis’s True Blood costar, Anna Paquin, said on Twitter that it was “an utter privilege to work with the phenomenally talented and deeply kind soul.” Joe Manganiello, also from True Blood, said, “He was a wonderful person, a pioneer, and a one-of-a-kind artist.”
True Blood creator and executive producer Alan Ball said in a statement, “Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege.” And HBO added, “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.”
Ellis clearly had a great impact on his True Blood coworkers. Here are some of their commemorative tributes.
The True Blood Twitter account shared HBO’s post about Ellis’ death.
We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis. He will be dearly missed by his fans and all of us at HBO.
— HBO (@HBO) July 8, 2017
Cast mates also shared their deep grief and sadness over this loss.
My heart is broken by the passing of Nelsan Ellis. A truly beautiful person. My love to his family and friends. #RIPNelsanEllis #TrueBlood pic.twitter.com/ZUor1yx4Yg
— Deborah Ann Woll (@DeborahAnnWoll) 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
So blessed to share the screen with you you beautiful man. pic.twitter.com/DCD6WLAdJn
— Todd Lowe (@Todd__Lowe) July 8, 2017
My heart is broken today over the loss of @OfficialNelsan I was in complete awe of your talent and so honored to have known your kindness.
— Anna Camp (@TheRealAnnaCamp) July 8, 2017
Dearest #NelsanEllis , may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest, you phenomenally talented genius…. pic.twitter.com/2OamZvBVNe
— Carrie Preston (@carriepreston) July 8, 2017
No one could raise a brow like @OfficialNelsan An army of us r left wanting more. Wherever you are sir,wish u peace. pic.twitter.com/4NBRSSRKwF
— Lauren Bowles (@LaurenEBowles) July 8, 2017
It’s so heartbreaking to hear about how great an impact Ellis had on his True Blood cast mates. Lafayette, Ellis’ character, was surely one of a kind — many argue the best on the show — and fans of his were sharing some of their favorite moments on social media as well. false
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/883763081024724992
What a tragic loss. Nelsan was such a gifted actor, and based on his cast mates’ words, a great person to know.
