Nelsan Ellis has passed away at the age of 39

HBO released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter magazine on Saturday (08.07.17) confirming the sad news, as they said he would be “dearly missed”.

The statement read: "We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis. 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."

Meanwhile, ‘True Blood’ creator Alan Ball dubbed the late star as a “privilege” to work with.

He said: "Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege.”

Nelsan’s co-star Joe Manganiello - who portrayed Alcide Herveaux in the show - also paid tribute to the star, as he took to Twitter to pay his respects.

He wrote: “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 (sic)”

And Anna Camp, who played Sarah Newlin, also shared her thoughts on Twitter.

She wrote: “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. (sic)”

At the time of writing, it is not yet known what caused Nelsan’s heart failure, or what complications arose which resulted in his passing.

Nelsan is survived by his grandmother, Alex Brow, his father, Tommie Lee Thompson, and his son, Breon Ellis.