Beloved actor and comedian Leslie Jordan has died. He was 67 years old.
According to TMZ, Jordan was driving in Hollywood, California on Monday (Oct. 24) when law enforcement officials say he crashed his car into the side of a building. It’s suspected that he suffered a medical emergency while driving.
Jordan was a celebrated actor, who appeared in shows such as Will & Grace, Call Me Kat, and American Horror Story. He was also a credited actor in movies such as The Help, Alligator Point, and Chasing Christmas.
His popularity rose to new heights over the pandemic when many of his social media posts went viral.
Leslie Jordan’s final social media post was shared to Instagram on Sunday, Oct. 23, just one day before his tragic passing.
In the post, he shared a performance of a new original Gospel hymn he had just written with famed songwriter Danny Myrick.
“Danny helped me with a new original song that should be comin’ out real soon,” he wrote.
The Chattanooga, Tennessee native had extensive ties to the country music community. He has performed at the Grand Ole Opry and is friends with artists such as Elle King, Jelly Roll, Jimmie Allen, Brothers Osborne, Tanya Tucker, Brittney Spencer, and more.
He even starred in Brothers Osborne’s “I’m Not for Everyone” music video in 2021.
“The song is about not being for everyone, but the core of the song is about embracing that part of you, and Leslie does it perfectly,” John Osborne previously shared.
Prior to his acting role in the upbeat video, the country duo was featured on Jordan’s gospel record, Company’s Comin’. This star-studded project began with a weekly music series on Jordan’s Instagram with his friend and hit Nashville songwriter, Travis Howard.
“My dear friend Travis Howard and I would get together on Sundays to sing these old hymns just because we loved them,” Jordan said. “The songs held something brilliant about the human condition and were a deep comfort to anyone who heard them, religious or not. He started posting our performances online, and the response was just incredible.”
The series then became a one-hour country music radio show, Hunker Down Radio with Leslie Jordan on Apple Music. Because of its popularity, Jordan decided to turn the idea into a full record. The project features duets with some of country music’s biggest names, including Dolly Parton, Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker, Katie Pruitt and Chris Stapleton.
The actor and comedian made his Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday, May 22, 2021 with a performance of a few hymns in addition to “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “In The Sweet Bye and Bye.” Jordan was joined on stage by country icons Vince Gill, Charlie Worsham, and TJ Osborne.
Leslie Jordan will certainly be missed.
