Leslie Jordan, who won an Emmy for playing the devious Beverley Leslie on “Will & Grace” also became a social media celebrity during the epidemic, died Monday after colliding with a tree in Hollywood, according to his agent.
“The world is much darker today without Leslie Jordan’s kindness and brightness,” David Shaul stated. “Not only was he a huge talent and provided an emotional haven for the country at one of its most trying moments.”
Jordan, 67, was declared dead at the scene at 9:30 a.m. PT after firemen responding to a collision complaint near Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street discovered him “pulseless and non-breathing” in a gray automobile.
According to his representative, Jordan had ” some medical condition” that may have caused him to crash his vehicle.
Jordan, born on April 29, 1955, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, built a lucrative career on television, playing modest but frequently scene-stealing appearances on shows ranging from Murphy Brown, Boston Public, Star Trek, American Horror Story, and “Hearts Afire.”
However, he was best known to television audiences as Beverley Leslie, the adversary of Megan Mullally’s Karen Walker character; he came out as gay in one of the show’s most famous episodes.
The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics named Jordan, who was openly homosexual, a “national treasure” last year when it bestowed its Timeless Star career achievement award on him.
Jordan’s Instagram posts, which he uploaded twice daily, made him famous to a new generation of admirers throughout the pandemic.
“What are you up to?” Jordan would often begin before delving into his often funny ruminations on life in lockdown, conveyed in a heavy Southern drawl.
Jordan seemed as astonished as everyone that a large portion of America was following him.
“I didn’t realize [he’d gone viral] until last night when everyone started phoning me and saying, ‘You’ve gone viral,'” he says. “In March 2020, Jordan told NBC’s “TODAY” show. “I’m not even sure what that implies!”
Jordan’s videos piqued the interest of cultural commentators such as Brian Moylan.
“Leslie Jordan was one of the true stars of the lockdown, collecting over 3.8 million Instagram followers in a month,” Moylan wrote for NBC News’ Think section in April 2020.
Leslie Jordan used his newfound celebrity to create “Company’s Comin’,” a gospel album featuring Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Eddie Vedder, and Tanya Tucker.
Leslie Jordan also wrote a book titled “How is Y’all Doing?” Misadventures and Mischief from a Well-Lived Life.” “My Trip Down the Pink Carpet,” his debut book, was published in 2008 and detailed his early days in Hollywood and his struggles with substance abuse.
“That dealt with all of the stress and growing up homosexual in the Baptist Church, and la, la, “Jordan stated last year in an interview with AP.
