Nelsan Ellis, star of True Blood and Elementary, has died at the age of 39. His friends and colleagues pay tribute.

Having to report on celebrity deaths is never easy, but when we’re talking about someone so young and unfinished, the task becomes even heavier.

Nelsan Ellis was only 39 when he passed away due to complications from heart failure, leaving behind his grandmother, his father and his son Breon.

The news was first broken by Ellis’ The Help co-star Octavia Spencer, who wrote on Instagram:

A post shared by Octavia Spencer (@therealoctaviaspencer) on

“Just got word that we lost @nelsanellisofficial. My heart breaks for his kids and family. #RIPNelsanEllis. #brillIantactor #trueblood #getonup #thesoloist #thehelp. The first time I met him was on the set of the soloist and we were at rehearsal with a lot of the homeless cast members, and Nelsan was playing our counselor. He walked in wearing a pair of fitted camo cargo pants, a pristine white tshirt, a beret, and a denim jacket. Needless to say he was gorgeous, sexy. But his talent had me speechless. We became instant friends after that. He was sooooo funny. I miss him. #nelsanellis”

Ellis was a rising star, most famous for his striking and iconic turn as Lafayette on HBO’s True Blood.

Some of his most memorable movies included The Soloist, The Help, Get on Up and The Stanford Prison Experiment. Last year, Ellis landed a lead role on CBS’ Elementary, playing Shinwell Johnson through the recently wrapped fifth season.

Nelsan Ellis’ friends and colleagues have taken to social media to express their grief.

Here are some of the moving tributes that convey just how much Ellis will be missed:

One of the first places we shot on the pilot of True Blood was Sam Merlotte’s Bar. The kitchen Suzuki Ingerslev built in Merlotte’s had a walk in freezer & working gas burners. It remained my favourite set throughout all 7 seasons – when shooting in Louisiana many months later she took us to the actual bar she had used as inspiration. It was almost as amazing as our Merlotte’s, but not quite – They didn’t have a Lafayette. In the scene that was being shot that day, Lafayette, a male cross-dressing short order cook in the show, was expounding on his theory of men’s fear of the female anatomy.. specifically, the vagina. ‘I know every man whether straight, gay or George MotherFuckin’ Bush is afraid of the pussy..’ I’m not sure I have ever seen, before or since, people crowd around a monitor at video village with their hands clapped to their mouths from shock, sheer laughter and wonder as the actor playing Lafayette jiggled and shook and humped the butchers block to get his point across. it was completely original, funny, sardonic, risqué and brilliant. That was Nelsan Ellis. All of the above. I turned to Alan Ball when the scene was finished and whispered… ‘you can’t kill him!’ (Lafayette’s death at the of the first book is the cliffhanger that leads to Book 2… ) Nelsan Ellis was the only actor in the 7 years of True Blood whom Alan allowed to improvise. Actually, I’m going to take that back. It wasn’t that Alan allowed him to do it, it was more that when Nelsan inhabited the world of Lafayette, he quite literally COULDN’T STOP himself. It was like he was possessed. In actuality Nelsan was quiet, smart, thoughtful, warm and kind. A published playwright himself. I think it would be fair to say that he taught all of us that intent and courage and fearlessness and freedom are the aspects of playing make-believe that spark the corners of the room where the dark is most impenetrable; to shine a light on those corners within ourselves is the very reason we go back time and again to Movies, TV shows and Theatre. To see that spark ignited. Nelsan had that electricity in an abundance I have rarely seen. I can’t believe he’s gone. #nelsanellis

A post shared by Steve Moyer (@stephenmoyer) on

I've been looking for pictures of our #trueblood family that I feel truly represent how important and loved Nelsan was to us all both creatively and as a human and I literally can't find one where he is front and center or in any way claiming the spotlight he deserved and belonged in. But that's because that beautiful, gifted man was also the most humble artist I've ever had the pleasure of knowing or working with. Nelsan inhabited characters that bore no resemblance to himself in a way that put him in that tiny category of true virtuoso performer. His ability to transcend and channel anything and everything thrown at him was inspiring and beautiful to watch. Sookie and Lafayette had some crazy adventures both emotionally and sometimes physically demanding and intimidating to me as a performer. But I always knew I was completely safe with Nelsan because he would never let me fall. He made me a better actor by raising the bar absurdly high but always extending a hand to help his scene partners clear it. #trueblood was a real family, cast and crew. 7 years of intense bonding and subsequent years in which, regardless of distance and schedules, the love has remained and the gratitude for how rare and special those relationships are has only grown. I can't even imagine how much pain Nelsan's son and family are in right now. They are in my heart and thoughts all the time. I assumed Nelsan was going to be in my life forever and this has been a shocking reminder of how fragile life is. I've never been very good at telling people to their faces how much they mean to me and I can be very "all business" on set, but I hope that wherever Nelsan is now he knows how much I loved him. I will always cherish those incredible seven years I got to spend with him on the strange and wonderful journey that was True Blood. #ripnelsanellis #trueblood #truelove #truefamily

A post shared by @_annapaquin on

HBO has also released a statement, writing:

“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.”

Via Bryce Dallas Howard, here are details about how to donate to charities in his honor:

Rest in peace, Nelsan Ellis.