RIP, Nelsan Ellis’s friends and former co-stars are paying their respects at his Funeral
- Nelsan Ellis is an actor who plays the role of Lafayette on True Blood and died at the age of 39.
- He was put to rest on Saturday at the Holy Temple Cathedral in his home state of Illinois.
Viola’s Statement:
Also in attendance, Viola Davis even spoke during the ceremony, which was opened to the public by Ellis’ family. Davis said,
“He was like my baby when I saw that he was sick, I begged him to get better because I didn’t want to let him go. I still don’t want to let him go.”
Ellis’s Funeral Will Be Open to the Public
A public funeral for “True Blood” star Nelsan Ellis will be held on Saturday, July 22 at Holy Temple Cathedral in Harvey, Ill., a suburb south of Chicago. There would be a public viewing on Friday, July 21 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Before the funeral, at Leak & Sons Funeral Home in Country Club Hills, Ill.
Ellis died on July 8 at the age of 39, due to complications from heart failure. His family later revealed Ellis’ struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.
Shared that he was “reluctant to talk about it during his life, period” but they believed that “in death, he would want his life to serve as a cautionary tale in an attempt to help others.”
Ellis’s Background
Born in Harvey, Ill., the actor, lived in Alabama with his aunt and siblings. Before moving back to Chicago at age 15. After joining the Marineperiod, he studied at Illinois State University and went on to get a degree from Juilliard School.
In addition to his role in “True Blood,” he also appeared in “The Soloist,” “The Butler,” “Elementary,” and “The Help.” Chris Modowd, a classmate at Juilliard, said afterward,
“He was a wonderful friend and a kind human being, he was a poet in class. Ellis wrote with this big imagery and giant pageantry. He had to be expressed.”
When Ellis was in elementary school, his parents divorced, and he ended up in foster care. So, Ellis had a difficult childhood.
In an August 2014 Chicago Sun-Times interview, he said:
“When I was 8, things happened there, and the state came and took us away.”
He further added,
“My mother, unfortunately, she was arrested, and she was in jail, gone for two weeks. The neighbors called authorities, and they came and took us away. And unfortunately, shortly thereafter, my brother died, and my mother just didn’t recover for a long time. I think that the only thing I ever knew how to do is act. But to be from abject poverty, it seems so distant, this thing that you have in you that you can’t begin to reach for.”
Let’s Find out Who attended the Funeral:
Friends, family, and former co-stars said a final goodbye Saturday to actor Nelsan Ellis, the Harvey native, and star of “True Blood” and “Elementary” who was laid to rest after a funeral in his hometown.
According to E! News, several of Ellis’ costars, including his True Blood castmates, attended his funeral. Stars from True Blood included Anna Paquin (as Sookie), Carrie Preston (as Arlene), and Rutina Wesley (as Tara). Wesley closed an emotional tribute to him, as she was a longtime friend of Ellis.
They were among 500 people at the holy Temple Cathedral in Harvey for Ellis’ funeral, which his family opened to the public. At the church, celebrities sat in one area, with Davis at the front, and family and friends took up the other three sections.
What was the reason behind Nelson’s dead??
Earlier, his family put out a written statement saying his death came after years of addiction:
“Nelsan has suffered from 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.”
Obama Sending Love
Remembrances and condolences also were presented from people who couldn’t be there Saturday. This included former President Barack Obama, who urged attendees to reflect on his memory and contributions to the arts.
A letter from Obama said,
“Nelsan inspired those around him and a generation of Americans through his own story of overcoming adversity, he will be remembered for his stellar performances and will live on through the beauty of the art he created.”
Short Bio on Nelsan Ellis:
Nelsan Ellis is an award-winning American film and television actor and playwright. He is best known for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO series True Blood. He is also famous for starring as Bobby Byrd in the James Brown biopic, Get On Up. More Bio…
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