Nelsan Ellis

Nelsan Ellis (November 30, 1977 – July 8, 2017) was an American actor and playwright. He was best known for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO series "True Blood" from 2008 to 2014. He also appeared in the movies "The Butler" (2013) and "Get on Up" (2014).
Ellis was born in Harvey, Illinois. He joined the United States Marines at the age of 17.
Ellis died of heart failure caused by alcohol withdrawal on July 8, 2017 in Brooklyn, New York. He was 39.