The family of former True Blood star Nelsan Ellis have revealed the exact circumstances of his death.
In a statement, released through the late actor's manager, Emily Gerson Saines, on Monday, Ellis' family said his heart failure was brought on by alcohol withdrawal accordingto DailyMail.
The family said that the 39-year-old actor 'suffered from drug and alcohol abuse for years' and recently tried to 'withdraw from alcohol on his own' after 'many stints in rehab'.
Actor Nelsan Ellis attends Comic-Con International 2014. Photo / Getty
'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,' Saines told The Hollywood Reporter.
'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,' the statement reads.
After his death was announced on Saturday, tributes flooded in from fans and friends from around the world - including his former True Blood co-star Anna Paquin.
'It was an utter privilege to work with the phenomenally talented and deeply kind soul @OfficialNeslan I'm devastated by his untimely death,' Paquin tweeted.
Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer, and The Weeknd all took to Twitter to express their shock over Ellis' death and sent their condolences to his family.
Actor Nelsan Ellis arrives at the premiere of HBO's True Blood Season 3. Photo / Getty
Ellis was easily a fan favorite with his performance of Lafayette - a vibrant short order cook a the bar Merlotte's - to the point that show writers chose to keep him throughout the series which went against the books where he is killed off.
'We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis,' HBO said in a statement.
'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.'
True Blood creator, Alan Ball added: 'Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege.'
Along with True Blood, Ellis also appeared in The Soloist, The Help, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Get on Up, Elementary and had even finished a movie True to the Game.
Ellis was born near Chicago in Harvey, Illinois, but became a ward of the state after his mother had a break down over the death of her brother.
Moving to Bessemer, Alabama, the actor went to Jess Lanier High School for a year but hated it, eventually moving back to Illinois and graduating from Thornridge High School in Dolton, Illinois.
He would have a short sting with the U.S. Marines but quit at the age of 17 before he was accepted into the famed Julliard School in New York, where he graduated in 2004.
Many celebrities took to social media to pay their respects to the actor.
'Nelsan Ellis was truly remarkable. A brilliant, charismatic, intelligent, soulful, wonderful dude. this is just completely tragic,' said Stephen Moyer who played Bill Compton on True Blood.
Posting a photo with his True Blood cast mate, Joe Manganiello said: 'Crushed today by the loss of my friend and castmate Nelsan Ellis. He was a wonderful person, a pioneer, and a one of a kind artist. RIP.'
'Nelsan Ellis. an amazing actor. and i'm sure an amazing man. god be with his family and friends,' said Luke James.
Actress Octavia Spencer posted a photo on Instagram that she shared on Twitter and said: 'Just got word that we lost @OfficialNelsan. My heart breaks for his kids and family....'
Jessica Chastain, who attended the esteemed Juilliard School around the same time as Ellis, wrote: 'We didn't even scratch the surface of seeing what this artist was capable of. My love to the family of this spectacular man. #NelsanEllis'
Director Ava DuVernay wrote: 'Rise in Peace, King. And thank you for sharing your gifts with us. You made a difference #nelsanellis'
