Leslie Jordan died yesterday at the age of 67.
The Emmy-winning actor died following an automobile accident in West Hollywood, after his BMW crashed into the side of a building. Authorities believe Jordan may have suffered a medical incident which led to him losing control of his vehicle.
Jordan’s career began in the early 1980’s, and included roles on TV shows like “Murphy Brown,” “Ally McBeal,” “Boston Legal,” and “Caroline in the City,” and in films like “The Help” and “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”
He won an Emmy in 2005 for his portrayal of Karen Walker’s rival and fellow socialite Beverly Leslie on “Will & Grace,” a character he played in both the original run and reboot of the popular comedy series. He also appeared in three iterations of the “American Horror Story” anthology series.
A multi-hyphenate talent, Jordan created an autobiographical stage show in the early 1990s, and in 2008 released, “My Trip Down the Pink Carpet,” a memoir collection of essays about his experience as a gay man in show business. Following a stage adaptation of the collection, the New York Times reported that, despite Jordan’s attempts to play it straight in the early days of his career, he would often say that he went straight into high heels from the womb and had been “on the prance ever since.”
In 2021 Jordan, who’d been raised as a Southern Baptist in Tennessee, released “Company’s Comin,” a gospel album.
He also found unexpected popularity later in life when, during the pandemic, his homemade and humorous videos made during isolation earned him millions of social media followers.
“The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan,” his agent David Shaul said in a statement released to the media following Jordan’s death. “Not only was he a mega talent and joy to work with, but he provided an emotional sanctuary to the nation at one of its most difficult times.”
Shaul continued, “Knowing that he has left the world at the height of both his professional and personal life is the only solace one can have today.”
