Nelsan Ellis’ funeral will be open to the public.
The ‘True Blood’ actor passed away on July 8 and his family have revealed his fans will be able to pay their respects before he is laid to rest.
They told the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper that a public viewing will be held from 6-9pm on Friday (21.07.17) in Country Club Hills, Illinois, ahead of a funeral service at 11am at Holy Temple Cathedral in Harvey, Illinois, at 11am the following day.
Following the actor’s death from heart failure at the age of 39, his family revealed he had been struggling with drug and alcohol addiction for "years".
His father Tommie Lee Thompson believed his son’s death came as he attempted to "withdraw from alcohol", which led to his heart "racing out of control."
A statement released by Nelsan’s manager Emily Gerson Saines read: "Nelsan’s father has bravely agreed for me to share the circumstances of Nelsan’s heart failure. Nelsan has suffered with 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."
And the star’s family now hope his death will serve as a "cautionary tale" for others who are battling with addictions.
The statement continued: "On the morning of Saturday July 8th, after four days in Woodhull Hospital, Nelsan was pronounced dead. Nelsan was a gentle, generous and kind soul. He was a father, a son, a grandson, a brother, a nephew and a great friend to those that were lucky enough to know him. Nelsan was ashamed of his addiction 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."
Nelsan Ellis’ public funeral
