Over the weekend, the world learned the sad news concerning the death of True Blood actor Nelsan Ellis.
The star, who played Lafayette Reynolds in the popular HBO horror drama from 2008 to 2014, died of heart failure, according to his manager Emily Gerson Saines.
She told the Hollywood Reporter: "He was a great talent, and his words and presence will be forever missed."
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In a statement, a HBO spokesperson told the BBC: "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."
His family have now revealed that he spent years battling addictions to drugs and alcohol, and that his heart failure was caused by withdrawal from the latter.
In a statement, they said: "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."
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The family also added that they have shared the details of his death in order to help others with their addictions.
"Nelsan was ashamed of his addiction," they added, "and thus was reluctant to talk about it during his life.
"His family, however, believes that in death he would want his life to serve as a cautionary tale in an attempt to help others."
After his death on Saturday, many of his colleagues and friends were quick to show their sadness at his passing.
Our thoughts remain with the actor's family.
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