Comedian and actor Leslie Jordan, a 'queer icon,' dies after car crash at 67 - Los Angeles Times

Comedian and histrion Leslie Jordan, known for his roles successful “Will & Grace” and “American Horror Story” and his uplifting pandemic Instagram videos, died aft a car clang Monday successful Hollywood.

Jordan, 67, won a prime-time Emmy successful 2006 for his show arsenic Beverley Leslie successful the deed TV amusement “Will & Grace.”

Jordan was down the instrumentality of a BMW erstwhile helium crashed into the broadside of a gathering astatine Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street successful Hollywood astatine 9:30 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department serviceman Lizbeth Lomeli told The Times. The longtime histrion and writer was declared dormant astatine the scene.

It was not instantly wide whether Jordan was killed successful the clang oregon suffered a aesculapian exigency beforehand, but the information of the conveyance suggested Jordan whitethorn person mislaid power earlier slamming into the building, a instrumentality enforcement root said.

After Jordan got his large interruption successful 1989 erstwhile helium was formed successful the archetypal play of “Murphy Brown,” his 30-year vocation was marked by scene-stealing roles successful TV shows specified arsenic “Bodies of Evidence” and “Hearts Afire.”

His fame grew portion starring successful NBC’s “Will & Grace,” arsenic good arsenic stints connected Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story” franchise and “The Cool Kids,” successful which helium played queer, assured elder national Sid Delacroix. Jordan was presently starring successful the Fox sitcom “Call Me Kat,” which precocious premiered its 3rd season.

While holed up successful an flat of his autochthonal Chattanooga, Tenn., during the aboriginal months of the pandemic successful 2020, Jordan recovered viral fame with a changeless drawstring of comedic videos posted to his Instagram pursuing of 5.8 cardinal users, marked by his lively, Southern accent.

Greeting his followers with his iconic sign-on, “Well, s—, what are y’all doin’?” and posting doubly a time for 80 days, Jordan would quip astir day-to-day beingness during the pandemic; springiness colorful reactions to the latest music, specified arsenic Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s single, “WAP;” make creation montages to popular euphony from his backyard to his surviving room; and portion connected walks, humorously recollect moments from his acting career.

“A person of excavation called from California and said, ‘You have gone viral.’ And I said, ‘No, honey, I’m fine. I don’t person COVID,’” Jordan joked successful 1 of the videos. “I don’t cognize however I did it due to the fact that present I scramble for content. ... Every day, I’m thinking, ‘Oh, my God! I request to post. What should I travel up with?’”

David Shaul, the actor’s representative, issued a connection connected his death.

“The satellite is decidedly a overmuch darker spot contiguous without the emotion and airy of Leslie Jordan,” Shaul said. “Not lone was helium a mega endowment and joyousness to enactment with, but helium provided an affectional sanctuary to the federation astatine 1 of its astir hard times. What helium lacked successful tallness helium made up for successful generosity and greatness arsenic a son, brother, artist, comedian, spouse and quality being. Knowing that helium has near the satellite astatine the tallness of some his nonrecreational and idiosyncratic beingness is the lone solace 1 tin person today.”

Tributes from chap actors and comedians began pouring successful aft quality of Jordan’s decease dispersed connected societal media.

Eric McCormack, who starred arsenic Will Truman alongside Jordan connected “Will & Grace,” celebrated the petit powerhouse arsenic the “funniest & flirtiest Southern gent I’ve ever known.”

“The joyousness and laughter helium brought to each 1 of his #WillandGrace episodes was palpable. Gone astir 30 years excessively soon. You were loved, saccharine man,” McCormack tweeted.

“Will & Grace” co-star Sean Hayes chimed in, saying: “Leslie Jordan was 1 of the funniest radical I ever had the pleasance of moving with.”

“Everyone who ever met him, loved him,” Hayes tweeted. “There volition ne'er beryllium anyone similar him. A unsocial endowment with an enormous, caring heart. You volition beryllium missed, my beloved friend.”

Actor Lynda Carter, who portrayed Wonder Woman successful the eponymous 1970s TV show, pointed to Jordan’s pandemic-era videos, which “put a grin connected the faces of truthful many.”

“What a feat to support america each laughing and connected successful specified hard times. ... It feels truthful cruel that this could hap to specified a beauteous soul,” Carter wrote.

Some mourners besides celebrated Jordan, who was openly gay, arsenic an LGBTQ icon who expanded the possibilities of queer individuality connected and disconnected the screen.

“You were genuinely 1 of the spirits that made aging arsenic a queer antheral consciousness much breathtaking than existing successful the present,” wrote Tony Award-nominated playwright Jeremy O. Harris.

Drag queen Trinity the Tuck said she had conscionable seen Jordan successful L.A. past week, penning that she was “devastated to find retired that Leslie Jordan has passed,” and remarking, “He was specified a queer icon to me.”

In a connection posted to Twitter, Sarah Kate Ellis, president and main enforcement 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 radical called him “a loyal person to truthful galore LGBTQ organizations including GLAAD,” who besides “made it a precedence to assistance summation visibility for LGBTQ for radical successful the South.”

During his Instagram videos, Jordan shared stories of the difficulties increasing up cheery successful a spiritual situation with a begetter who served successful the military. Jordan, who had been sober for 2 decades, said helium coped by turning to intoxicant and drugs.

“There was a feeling that I was a small spot of a disappointment,” helium recalled during 1 video. The histrion past revealed that helium struggled much with being “effeminate” than with being gay. “I unfastened my rima and 50 yards of purple chiffon travel out,” helium says.

In a June 2020 interview with the New York Times, Jordan said his queer individuality allowed him to find solidarity during the uprisings pursuing the execution of George Floyd. He turned implicit his Instagram relationship to Deesha Dyer, a erstwhile Obama Cabinet member, to pb a speech connected systemic racism.

“I’m truly divided whether I would spell connected Instagram oregon thing astir it,” Jordan said. “But erstwhile you person 4.7 cardinal followers, I mean, you can’t conscionable beryllium silent. I’m a cheery antheral who went done a batch of the aboriginal cheery rights movement.”