Leslie Jordan, Emmy-winning Will & Grace actor, dead at 67 | CBC News

Leslie Jordan, the Emmy-winning actor whose wry Southern drawl and versatility made him a comedy and drama standout on TV series including Will & Grace and American Horror Story, has died. 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 by celebrity news website 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 joy to work with, but he provided an emotional sanctuary to the nation at one of its most difficult times,” a representative for Jordan said in a statement Monday.

“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.”

The stars of Will & Grace mourned Jordan’s death.

“My heart is broken,” tweeted Sean Hayes. “Everyone who ever met him, loved him. There will never be anyone like him. A unique talent with an enormous, caring heart. You will be missed, my dear friend.”

Eric McCormack, who played title character Will Truman, said on Twitter that he was crushed to learn of Jordan’s death, calling him “the funniest & flirtiest southern gent I’ve ever known.” 

“The joy and laughter he brought to every one of his [Will and Grace] episodes was palpable.”

The native of Chattanooga, Tenn., who won an outstanding guest actor Emmy in 2005 for his role as Beverly Leslie on the hit NBC Sitcom, appeared recently on the Mayim Bialik comedy Call me Kat and co-starred on the sitcom The Cool Kids.

Jordan’s other credits include Fantasy Island and The United States vs. Billie Holiday. He also played various roles on the American Horror Story franchise series.

Earning a new social media following

Jordan earned an unexpected new following in 2021 when he spent time during the pandemic lockdown near family in his hometown — posting daily videos of himself on Instagram and TikTok.

Many of his videos included him asking “How y’all doin?” and some included stories about Hollywood or his childhood growing up with identical twin sisters and their “mama,” as he called her. Other times he did silly bits 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,’ ” said Jordan.

Celebrities, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Alba and Anderson Cooper, along with brands such as Reebok and Lululemon, would comment on his posts. 

Soon he became fixated with the number of views and followers he had, because there wasn’t much else going on.

“For a while there, it was like obsessive. 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’re not some teenage girl.’ ” 

The spotlight led to new opportunities. Earlier this month he released a gospel album called Company’s Comin featuring Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Eddie Vedder and Tanya Tucker.

Books shared encounters with fame, Baptist Church

He also wrote a book called How Y’all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived.

It was Jordan’s second book, following his 2008 memoir, My Trip Down the Red Carpet.

“That sort 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. 

The new book’s anecdotes included stories of working with Lady Gaga on American Horror Story, how his meeting Star Wars actor Carrie Fisher led to her mother, Debbie Reynolds, calling his mother, and the Shetland pony named Midnight that he got 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 Sissies, which 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.

“Every time the preacher would say, ‘Come forward, sinners!’ I’d say ‘Oooh, I was out in the woods with that boy, I better go forward.’ My mother thought I was being dramatic. She’d say, ‘Leslie, you’re already saved,’ and I’d say, ‘Well, I don’t think it took.’ “

A storyteller by nature

Jordan said he considered himself a storyteller by nature.

“It’s very Southern. If I was to be taught 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 4-foot-11 stature and accent would hold him back, but proved the naysaysers wrong.

His big break came playing the role of a hapless ex-con in a 1989 episode of Murphy Brown.

“When that episode aired, my agent called the next day and said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this. The phone is ringing off the hook.’ “