by Leslie Jordan, the Emmy-winning actor whose drawling voice and Southern versatility have made him a star of comedy and drama in television series including will and grace and american horror story, is dead. Jordan, whose videos turned him into a social media star during the pandemic, was 67.
He died Monday in a single car crash in Hollywood, according to reports from celebrity news site TMZ and the Los Angeles Times, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.
“The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan. Not only was he a mega talent and a joy to work with, but he provided emotional sanctuary for the nation at the time. one of his most difficult times,” a Jordanian official said in a statement on Monday.
“Knowing that he left the world at the height of his professional and personal life is the only consolation one can have today.”
The stars of will and grace mourned Jordan’s death.
“My heart is broken,” tweeted Sean Hayes. “Everyone who met him loved him. There will never be anyone like him. A unique talent with a huge, caring heart. You will be missed, my dear friend.”
My heart is broken. Leslie Jordan was one of the funniest people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Everyone who met him loved him. There will never be anyone like him. A unique talent with a huge, caring heart. We will miss you my dear friend. 😔❤️ pic.twitter.com/RNKSamoES0
Eric McCormack, who played lead character Will Truman, said on Twitter that he was devastated to hear of Jordan’s death, calling him “the funniest, most flirtatious southern gent I’ve ever known”.
“The joy and laughter he brought to each of his [Will and Grace] episodes was palpable.”
The Chattanooga, Tenn. native, who won an Outstanding Guest Actor Emmy in 2005 for his role as Beverly Leslie in the hit NBC Sitcom, recently appeared in the comedy Mayim Bialik call me kat and co-starred in the sitcom The cool kids.
Jordan’s other credits include fantasy island and USA vs. Billie Holiday. He also played various roles in american horror story franchise series.
Gain a new social media following
Jordan gained an unexpected new audience in 2021 when he spent time during the pandemic lockdown near his family in his hometown – posting daily videos of himself to Instagram and TikTok.
Many of his videos included him asking “How are you?” and some included stories about Hollywood or his childhood growing up with identical twin sisters and their “mom,” as he called her. Other times he did stupid things like complete an indoor obstacle course.
“Someone called from California and said, ‘Oh, honey, you’ve gone viral. And I said, ‘No, no, I don’t have COVID. I’m just in Tennessee,’ Jordan said.
Celebrities including Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Alba and Anderson Cooper, as well as brands such as Reebok and Lululemon, commented on her posts.
Soon he became obsessed with how many views and subscribers he had, as not much else was going on.
Crushed to learn the loss of @thelesliejordan, the funniest, flirtiest southern gentleman I’ve ever known. The joy and laughter he brought to each of his #WillandGrace episodes was palpable. Gone thirty years too soon. You were loved, dear man. 💔
“For a while there, it was like an obsession. And I thought, ‘This is ridiculous. Stop, stop, stop. You know, it almost became, “If it doesn’t happen on Instagram, it didn’t happen.” And I thought, ‘You’re 65, first of all. You are not a teenager.’ ”
The spotlights have opened up new opportunities. Earlier this month he released a gospel album titled Comin of the company with Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Eddie Vedder and Tanya Tucker.
Shared Books Celebrity Dating, Baptist Church
He also wrote a book titled How are you ? : Misadventures and Misdeeds of a Life Well Lived.
It was Jordan’s second book, following his 2008 memoir, My Red Carpet Journey.
“It kind of dealt with all the angst and growing up gay in the Baptist church…I just wanted to tell stories,” he said in an interview last year.
Trivia in the new book included stories of working with Lady Gaga on american horror storyhow his encounter with Star Wars actor Carrie Fisher led his mother, Debbie Reynolds, to call her mother, and the Shetland pony named Midnight that he had as a child.
In a 2014 interview with Philadelphia magazine, Jordan was asked how he related to his role in the 2013 film Southern Baptist Sissieswhich explores growing up gay while being raised in a conservative Baptist church.
“I really wanted to be a really good Christian, like some of the boys in the movie. I was baptized 14 times,” Jordan said.
“Each time the preacher would say, ‘Come on, sinners!’ I was like ‘Oooh, I was in the woods with that boy, I better move on.’ My mom thought I was overreacting. She was like, ‘Leslie, you’re already saved,’ and I was like, ‘Well, I don’t think it took.'”
A storyteller by nature
Jordan said he considers himself a storyteller by nature.
“It’s very southern. If I was given a lesson or something when I was a kid, I was told a story,” the actor said.
Jordan first arrived in Los Angeles in 1982 on a Trailways bus “with a dream and $1,200 pinned in my undershorts”, hoping to make it as an actor. He was told his 4ft 11in stature and accent would hold him back, but proved the naysayers wrong.
His big breakthrough came playing the role of a hapless ex-con in a 1989 episode of Murphy Brown.
“When this episode aired, my agent called the next day and said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like it. The phone rings constantly. “
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