LOS ANGELES — Comedian and actor Leslie Jordan, known for his roles in “Will & Grace” and “American Horror Story” and his uplifting pandemic Instagram videos, died after a car crash Monday in Hollywood.
Jordan, 67, won a prime-time Emmy in 2006 for his performance as Beverley Leslie in the hit TV show “Will & Grace.”
Jordan was behind the wheel of a BMW when he crashed into the side of a building at Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street in Hollywood at 9:30 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department officer Lizbeth Lomeli told The Times. The longtime actor and writer was declared dead at the scene.
It was not immediately clear whether Jordan was killed in the crash or suffered a medical emergency beforehand, but the condition of the vehicle suggested Jordan may have lost control before slamming into the building, a law enforcement source said.
After Jordan got his big break in 1989 when he was cast in the first season of “Murphy Brown,” his 30-year career was marked by scene-stealing roles in TV shows such as “Bodies of Evidence” and “Hearts Afire.”
His fame grew while starring in NBC’s “Will & Grace,” as well as stints on Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story” franchise and “The Cool Kids,” in which he played queer, confident senior citizen Sid Delacroix. Jordan was currently starring in the Fox sitcom “Call Me Kat,” which recently premiered its third season.
While holed up in an apartment of his native Chattanooga, Tennessee, during the early months of the pandemic in 2020, Jordan found viral fame with a constant string of comedic videos posted to his Instagram following of 5.8 million users, marked by his lively, Southern accent.
Greeting his followers with his iconic sign-on, “Well, s—, what are y’all doin’?” and posting twice a day for 80 days, Jordan would quip about day-to-day life during the pandemic; give colorful reactions to the latest music, such as Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s single, “WAP;” create dance montages to pop music from his backyard to his living room; and while on walks, humorously recollect moments from his acting career.
“A friend of mine called from California and said, ‘You have gone viral.’ And I said, ‘No, honey, I’m fine. I don’t have COVID,’” Jordan joked in one of the videos. “I don’t know how I did it because now I scramble for content. ... Every day, I’m thinking, ‘Oh, my God! I need to post. What should I come up with?’”
David Shaul, the actor’s representative, issued a statement on his death.
“The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan,” Shaul said. “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. What he lacked in height he made up for in generosity and greatness as a son, brother, artist, comedian, partner and human being. 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.”
Tributes from fellow actors and comedians began pouring in after news of Jordan’s death spread on social media.
Eric McCormack, who starred as Will Truman alongside Jordan on “Will & Grace,” celebrated the petit powerhouse as the “funniest & flirtiest Southern gent I’ve ever known.”
“The joy and laughter he brought to every one of his #WillandGrace episodes was palpable. Gone about thirty years too soon. You were loved, sweet man,” McCormack tweeted.
“Will & Grace” co-star Sean Hayes chimed in, saying: “Leslie Jordan was one of the funniest people I ever had the pleasure of working with.”
“Everyone who ever met him, loved him,” Hayes tweeted. “There will never be anyone like him. A unique talent with an enormous, caring heart. You will be missed, my dear friend.”
Actor Lynda Carter, who portrayed Wonder Woman in the eponymous 1970s TV show, pointed to Jordan’s pandemic-era videos, which “put a smile on the faces of so many.”
“What a feat to keep us all laughing and connected in such difficult times. ... It feels so cruel that this could happen to such a beautiful soul,” Carter wrote.
Some mourners also celebrated Jordan, who was openly gay, as an LGBTQ icon who expanded the possibilities of queer identity on and off the screen.
“You were truly one of the spirits that made aging as a queer man feel more exciting than existing in the present,” wrote Tony Award-nominated playwright Jeremy O. Harris.
Drag queen Trinity the Tuck said she had just seen Jordan in L.A. last week, writing that she was “devastated to find out that Leslie Jordan has passed,” and remarking, “He was such a queer icon to me.”
In a statement posted to Twitter, Sarah Kate Ellis, president and chief executive of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said Jordan “was a multi-talented entertainer who charmed audiences for decades with heartfelt characters on-screen and passionate LGBTQ advocacy off-screen.” The advocacy group called him “a loyal friend to so many LGBTQ organizations including GLAAD,” who also “made it a priority to help increase visibility for LGBTQ for people in the South.”
During his Instagram videos, Jordan shared stories of the difficulties growing up gay in a religious environment with a father who served in the military. Jordan, who had been sober for two decades, said he coped by turning to alcohol and drugs.
“There was a feeling that I was a little bit of a disappointment,” he recalled during one video. The actor then revealed that he struggled more with being “effeminate” than with being gay. “I open my mouth and 50 yards of purple chiffon come out,” he says.
In a June 2020 interview with the New York Times, Jordan said his queer identity allowed him to find solidarity during the uprisings following the murder of George Floyd. He turned over his Instagram account to Deesha Dyer, a former Obama Cabinet member, to lead a conversation on systemic racism.
“I’m really divided whether I would go on Instagram or anything about it,” Jordan said. “But when you have 4.7 million followers, I mean, you can’t just sit silent. I’m a gay man who went through a lot of the early gay rights movement.”
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