A public funeral for Nelsan Ellis—who played gay character Lafayette on the HBO show True Blood—will be held Saturday, July 22, at Holy Temple Cathedral, 15912 Lincoln Ave., in Harvey, Illinois, according to a Page Six item.
Also, there will be a public viewing on Friday, July 21, 6-9 p.m., at Leak & Sons Funeral Home, 18400 Pulaski Rd., in Country Club Hills, Illinois. Pastor Tyrone Gaston will officiate the July 22 service, starting at 11 a.m.
Ellis died July 8 from heart failure at age 39. His family issued a statement attributing the heart failure to longtime alcohol and drug abuse.
He was born in Harvey, Illinois, and he and his family moved to Alabama before he moved to Chicago in his mid-teens. After being in the military, Ellis studied at Illinois State University before getting his bachelor’s degree at the New York City’s Juilliard School.
Ellis was also behind the local group The Collective Theatre, an African-American company. He discussed the company’s first play, HooDoo Love, with Windy City Times in 2012; see WindyCityTimes.com/lgbt/Nelsan-Ellis-From-True-Blood-to-Hoodoo-Love/39569.html.
The Page Six item is at pagesix.com/2017/07/14/funeral-for-true-blood-star-nelsan-ellis-to-be-open-to-the-public/.