WWTBAM Bored

39-year-old actor best known as Lafayette on True Blood died of complications from heart failure. I loved him in this part, and thought he was one of the best parts of the show.

He played Shinwell Johnson in six episodes of Elementary and MLK in Lee Daniels' The Butler.

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/nelsan- ... 202490405/

I admit I don't know anything about the man's life, but when someone this age dies of heart failure, you wonder if there may have been contributing pharmaceutical factors.

I saw him as James Brown's bandmate in Get On Up, and he was quite good in that.

He doesn't strike me as the drug type, though that is a valid place to go. I made a different kind of stereotypical leap, and wondered if he was diabetic and thus more susceptible to heart issues. I think I read that African-Americans are nearly twice as likely as white Americans to be diabetic.

But it is damn shame, however it came about.

silverscreenselect wrote:I admit I don't know anything about the man's life, but when someone this age dies of heart failure, you wonder if there may have been contributing pharmaceutical factors.

Perhaps you do, but, not knowing anything about him either, I wondered if he had a congenital condition.

It is normal to wonder about the causes of early deaths, and I think it is not horrible to wonder about specific causes, as long as we are not judging anyone, those are all just obvious curiosity. We had a rule back when I took obits by phone, nearly 30 years ago, that we had to ask about cause of someone was under 35 or so. The funeral directors knew this and would say "natural causes" to head us off.

I get a little nuts when a story says someone 92 has died but that they don't have a cause of death. I think the cause is fairly obvious. The person was 92.

The actor died Saturday of heart failure due to alcohol withdrawal complications, the family said. "Nelsan was a gentle, generous and kind soul."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/t ... ys-1019634

Bob Juch wrote:

The actor died Saturday of heart failure due to alcohol withdrawal complications, the family said. "Nelsan was a gentle, generous and kind soul."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/t ... ys-1019634

When his death was announced, Octavia Spencer mentioned it and the tenor of her post was that of someone who knew that Ellis was dealing with this type of problem, which is one reason why I made a comment.

Deaths like his are extremely sad

That sucks, that if you are trying to get off something that is bad for you, your body kills you for the sudden change.

silverscreenselect wrote:I admit I don't know anything about the man's life, but when someone this age dies of heart failure, you wonder if there may have been contributing pharmaceutical factors.

that makes you Len Biased