Actor Nelsan Ellis, who starred on the hit HBO show "True Blood," has died.

His manager, Emily Gerson Saines, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.

Ellis was 39. He died of complications of heart failure, Saines said.

Ellis played Lafayette Reynolds on "True Blood." Most recently, he played Shinewell Johnson on "Elementary." He also had roles in major films such as "Get on Up," "The Help" and "The Butler."

HBO released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, saying Ellis was a longtime member of the HBO family and will be dearly missed.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Collect candy, play carnival games for prizes and do more not-so-scary stuff at Boo at the Zoo at Zoo Atlanta on Saturday and Sunday. (Courtesy of Zoo Atlanta)

Credit: Photo courtesy of Zoo Atlanta

Featured

Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com