Family Of Nelsan Ellis Reveal The Reason Behind His Untimely Death – Tha Wire

Today in Tha Wire family members of Nelsan Ellis, the award winning actor best known as Lafayette from HBO's True Blood series, has come forward to shed some light on his untimely death. The talented actor died unexpectedly Saturday morning, on July 8,2017. He was only 39-years old. His death will leave a painful void in his family, that will never be filled. According to reports, the cause of death was heart failure. However his family revealed to The Hollywood Reporter, his private battle off camera, led to the reason the stars heart gave out.

On Monday(July 10) Nelsan's manager, Emily Gerson Saines, released a statement on behalf of the stars family to offer an explanaton on why he died so suddenly:

Nelsan's father has bravely agreed for me to share the circumstances of Nelsan's heart failure. Nelsan has suffered with drug and alcohol abuse for years. After many stints in rehab, Nelsan attempted to withdraw from alcohol on his own. 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.

On the morning of Saturday July 8th, after four days in Woodhull Hospital, Nelsan was pronounced dead. 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. 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.

Simply put, the beloved actor passed away due to complications from alcohol withdrawal syndrome. His manager explained Nelsan “suffered with drug and alcohol abuse for years.” The actor tried to beat his addictions by seeking rehab but, after several failed attempts, he decided to try and quit on his own.  Nelsan suffered quietly and didn't talk about his addiction, because he was ashamed.

Sadly Nelsan's body just couldn't handle it. According to reports with a swollen liver and his body in full withdrawal, when the star was admitted to Woodhull Hospital in New York last week. His condition worsened when he developed a blood infection, which led to this bodily functions shutting down. Ellis died 4 days later.

Devastated with the loss of his son, Nelsan's father said the star was a gentle loving person, and a great friend to anyone lucky to have known him. Mr. Ellis also said that his family believed Nelsan would've wanted them to come forward with what really happened, so his death could serve as a wake-up call to help others.

Nelsan Ellis was a gifted actor, who appeared in several movies and TV shows to include: The Butler, The James Brown biopic Get On Up, The Help, The Soloist, and more. Shocked by his death, the tributes from fans, his former co-stars and celebs poured in: