Leslie Jordan, an American actor and comedian, died at the age of 67.
The actor, best known for his appearances in Will and Grace and American Horror Story, died in a vehicle accident in Los Angeles on Monday morning, according to US media.
Jordan’s automobile collided with the side of a building, and he was pronounced dead on the spot.
His publicist stated that his death had made the world a “darker place.”
“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,” David Shaul said. “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.”
Officers said it was unknown if Jordan was killed in the accident or if he had a medical problem before the incident.
Born in 1955 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he came out as gay to his mother when he was 12 years old in the conservative US state. “I told my mother I thought something was up. I didn’t even know the word ‘gay,'” he said last year.
“She didn’t pull her Bible out, which I thought she would. She said, ‘I’m just really afraid that if you choose this path, you’ll be ridiculed,'” he recalled, adding that she told him to “‘just live your life quietly.’ I didn’t follow her advice on that one.”
He relocated to Los Angeles after graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1982. He worked his way through several jobs before landing his breakthrough role in the drama Murphy Brown. He was known for his little stature, standing at about 4ft 11 in (1.50 metres), and for playing colorful roles.
He rose to prominence as Beverley Leslie on the US comedy Will and Grace, for which he earned a Primetime Emmy in 2006.
During the Covid-19 outbreak, Jordan rose to prominence among younger viewers as a social media celebrity, publishing daily updates while quarantined in his Chattanooga apartment.
Jordan amassed over 5.8 million Instagram followers by posting twice a day about his life, delivering insight on pop music, and choreographing dance routines.
“A friend of mine called from California and said, ‘You have gone viral.’ And I said, ‘No, honey, I’m fine. I don’t have Covid,'” he joked in one video.
He was frank about his struggles with drug misuse, having taken his first drink at 14, and reportedly joked about finding up in a jail cell next to Robert Downey Jr. while the Iron Man star was battling addiction. Jordan subsequently remarked, “I’m somewhat responsible for his success.”
He became sober in the 1990s and told CNN presenter Anderson Cooper about his battle with addiction.
“People say ‘Well how do you get sober, what’s the best way,'” Jordan said. “Yeah, well 120 days in the jailhouse in Los Angeles. That will sober you up”
Jordan’s Will and Grace co-star Sean Hayes described him as “one of the funniest people I ever had the pleasure of working with”.
“Everyone who ever met him, loved him,” Hayes added. “There will never be anyone like him. A unique talent with an enormous, caring heart. You will be missed, my dear friend.”
“Leslie, we are heartbroken at your loss and will miss your mirth and your inimitable spirit,” said Star Trek actor George Takei on Twitter.
And RuPaul’s Drag Race – the show on which Jordan starred as a guest judge – wrote on Twitter: “Rest in peace, Leslie Jordan. Thank you for the countless laughs and for sharing your spirit with us all.”