The star, Leslie Jordan known for his roles in Will and Grace and American Horror Story, died in a car accident in Los Angeles on Monday morning, US media reported. Police told the LA Times that Jordan’s car crashed into the side of the building and he was pronounced dead at the scene. His publicist said the world had become a “darker place” after his loss.
“Not only was he a tremendous talent and a joy to work with, but he provided the nation with an emotional refuge during one of its most difficult times,” said David Shaul. “Knowing that he left the world at the peak of his professional and personal life is the only consolation one can have today.”
Officers added that it was unclear whether Jordan was killed in the crash or if he had previously suffered a medical emergency.
His agent, Don LeClair, told Reuters that Jordan was on his way to the studio of the Warner Bros TV series Call Me Kat when the accident happened. Jordan played Phil, the head baker at Kat’s cafe, in the show, which was based on the British sitcom Miranda.
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1955, he came out as gay to his mother at the age of 12 in the deeply conservative American state. “I told my mother I thought something was going on. I didn’t even know the meaning of the word ‘gay,'” he told People magazine last year.
“She didn’t pull out her Bible, which I thought she did. She said, ‘I’m just really afraid that if you choose this path, you’re going to be ridiculed,'” he recalled, adding that she told him to “‘Just live your life quietly. ” I didn’t follow her advice on this one.”
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More About Leslie Jordan
Leslie Jordan moved to Los Angeles and worked his way through a variety of roles before landing his breakthrough role in the drama Murphy Brown After graduating from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1982. He was noted for his diminutive height standing just 4 ft 11 and often played flamboyant characters.
His fame grew when he starred in the US sitcom Will and Grace as Beverley Leslie a role for which he won a major Emmy Award in 2006.
His other television credits included cameo appearances on Murphy Brown, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Star Trek: Voyager, Boston Public, and American Horror Story.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jordan also found fame among a younger audience as a social media star who posted daily updates while quarantined in his apartment in his hometown of Chattanooga. Posting twice daily, Jordan has amassed more than 5.8 million followers on Instagram, reflecting on his life and offering commentary on popular music, and creating dance routines.
“My friend called from California and said, ‘You’ve gone viral.’ And I said, ‘No, baby, I’m fine. I don’t have Covid,'” he joked in one video.
He has often spoken openly about his struggles with substance abuse. He had his first drink aged just 14, and once humorously recalled ending up in a prison cell alongside Robert Downey Jnr as the Iron Man star battled addiction. “I’m partly responsible for his success,” Jordan later joked.
He got sober in the 1990s and later spoke to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper about his battle with addiction. “People say ‘Well, how do you get sober, what’s the best way,'” Jordan said. “Yeah, 120 days in LA. That’ll sober you up.”
A number of Hollywood stars were quick to pay tribute to Jordan, with Will and Grace co-star Sean Hayes hailing him as “one of the funniest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with”.
“Everyone who ever met him loved him,” Hayes added. “There will never be anyone like him. A unique talent with a huge, caring heart. I will miss you, dear friend.”
“Leslie, your loss hurts us and we will miss your cheerfulness and your inimitable spirit,” Star Trek actor George Takei said on Twitter.
And RuPaul’s Drag Race, the show Jordan guest starred on tweeted: “Rest in peace Leslie Jordan. Thank you
Leslie for the countless laughs and for sharing your spirit with us all .”
