‘Will & Grace’ stars honor Leslie Jordan: ‘Everyone who ever met him, loved him’
Actor Leslie Jordan, known for his work on the TV shows “Will & Grace” and “Call Me Kat,” always knew how to light up a room with his sassy humor and wit.
And that’s exactly what his Hollywood peers will miss about the Emmy-winning actor, who died Monday morning after a car crash in Hollywood. He was 67.
Shortly after news of Jordan’s death spread, fellow actors and comedians started paying tribute to Jordan on social media. Among those honoring the late actor were Eric McCormack, who starred as Will Truman alongside Jordan’s Beverley Leslie. McCormack celebrated Jordan 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.
“Leslie Jordan was one of the funniest people I ever had the pleasure of working with. Everyone who ever met him, loved him,” tweeted “Will & Grace” co-star Sean Hayes. “There will never be anyone like him. A unique talent with an enormous, caring heart. You will be missed, my dear friend.”
Megan Mullally, who starred as Karen Walker, remembered her onscreen rival in a lengthy Instagram post.
“leslie was flawlessly funny, a virtuoso of comedy. his timing, his delivery, all apparently effortless. you can’t get any better than that,” she wrote. “and what a friendly, fun-loving, dear person.”
Actor Leslie Jordan, known for TV roles in ‘Will & Grace’ and ‘American Horror Story,’ died after a car crash in Los Angeles on Monday. He was 67.
Mullally said she last saw Jordan in September, when Jordan was a touting his bestselling book, “How Y’all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief From a Life Well Lived,” at the 2022 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
“how brilliant it was that millions of people were able to discover the real leslie and his love of life and unparalleled story-telling abilities on instagram. he had so much to share, and it meant so much to him that finally he’d found a vehicle through which to share it,” she added. “he was absolutely unique. one of a kind.”
Jackée Harry, who appeared alongside Jordan in the Fox series “The Cool Kids,” said she is “completely heartbroken” over the comedian’s death.
“Leslie Jordan was a kind spirit and provided us with so many laughs. Rest peacefully, friend,” Harry tweeted, sharing a video clip of a pantsless Jordan dancing at a bachelorette party in “The Cool Kids.”
“This man was never afraid to act a fool! The smiles he brought to our faces doing so can never be counted,” Harry added. “They’re endless.”
On Instagram, Dolly Parton, who sang with Jordan on his 2021 album of country gospel, remembered the “special bond” she had with Jordan.
“I know people always say ‘Oh, they will be missed’ but in this case that could not be more true. He will be missed by everyone who knew him personally and by everyone who was entertained by him,” she wrote. “Rest in peace lil’ brother.”
“This is so heartbreaking. Your star shined bright no matter where you were on screen and even moreso off,” tweeted playwright Jeremy O. Harris. “You were truly one of the spirits that made aging as a queer man feel more exciting than existing in the present. To a lived fully! RIP LESLIE JORDAN.”
At 65, Leslie Jordan is an Instagram star with a new TV show, book and debut album of old hymns featuring Dolly Parton, Brandi Carlile and Eddie Vedder.
“Leslie Jordan put a smile on the faces of so many, especially with his pandemic videos. 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,” wrote actor Lynda Carter.
“Rest in peace, Leslie Jordan. Thank you for the countless laughs and for sharing your spirit with us all,” wrote the official Twitter account for “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” on which recently Jordan served as a guest judge.
“Abbott Elementary” creator and star Quinta Brunson called Jordan’s death “heartbreaking.” A fellow Emmy winner, Brunson said meeting Jordan while filming on the same stage as “Call Me Kat” was “one of my greatest joys.”
“We know this loss is immense,” she wrote. “He was pure joy.”
Oscar winner Marlee Matlin recalled working with Jordan for the TV series “Reasonable Doubts.” She tweeted that “he was at the top of his game and had so much to look forward to. He exuded JOY and LAUGHTER.”
The late Leslie Jordan spoke with the Los Angeles Times on several occasions about his career and personal life. Here’s a sampling of his best quotes.
Fox, which was Jordan’s home for “Call Me Kat” and “The Cool Kids,” said in a statement Jordan “was far more than an Emmy Award winning comedic talent with whom we’ve laughed alongside for all these years.
“He was the kindest person you could ever imagine who simply lit up a room and brought pure joy and huge smiles to millions of people around the world. The truest of Southern Gentlemen, Leslie carried an infectious exuberance, indelible sense of humor and, throughout, gifted us with countless fond memories that will last forever,” Fox’s statement said. “As we grieve this sad news, we also wish to extend our most profound sympathies to Leslie’s family, friends and fans, whom he held so dear.”
Warner Bros. Television, which also produces “Call Me Kat,” celebrated “our dear friend” Jordan in a statement as an “extraordinary person and talent.”
In a joint statement shared with The Times, “Call Me Kat” star Mayim Bialik, the cast and producers of the Fox series celebrated Jordan, who was “tender wise, naughty and hilarious.”
“We got to know and love him at the height of his happiness and joy and it is inconceivable to imagine a world without our Leslie: the man who would spit on his contact lenses before putting them in his eyes, the man who had a story about every man in Hollywood and some of the women as well, the man who lived to make people laugh,” the statement said.
After decades in showbiz, the 65-year-old found fame on social media — and has a new TV show and a second book on the way. ‘It’s all gravy,’ he says.
“Call Me Kat” will also briefly halt production to take time to “grieve and to celebrate the many gifts Leslie gave to us and to the entire world.”
Hours after Jordan died, his official Instagram account shared a statement to the actor’s followers.
“The love and light that Leslie shared will never go out and we invite you to share your memories and comfort each other during this time,” the Instagram post said. “In the coming days we will be giving a glimpse of a project Leslie was really proud of and was looking forward to sharing with the world.”
See more tributes to Jordan below.
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