One of the brightest personalities in Hollywood has now been dimmed ever so slightly, as actor Leslie Jordan, the charismatic co-star of Fox's Call Me Kat opposite Cheyenne Jackson and Mayim Bialik, has died. He was 67 years old.
The details behind Leslie Jordan's sudden and unfortunate death are still being investigated. According to TMZ, the American Horror Story vet was driving his BMW through Hollywood on the morning of Monday, October 24, and it stands to reason that he went through some form of medical emergency that left him unable to maneuver the vehicle properly. After this point, he reportedly crashed his car into the side of a nearby building.
This news comes as a huge shock to Jordan's legions of fans new and old. The actor has been as busy as ever in recent years, not only with playing Phil on Call Me Kat, but in a slew of other relatively recent projects. In the past two years or so, he's made appearances in shows such as Fantasy Island, The Great North and Special, while popping up in features like The United States vs. Billie Holiday and Until We Meet Again. He also served as the narrator for this year's streaming docuseries The Book of Queer.
Sadly, Leslie Jordan is leaving behind not just unseen episodes of Call Me Kat, as well as episodes that he'll never get to film, but also at least one feature project that is yet to be released. He filmed for the comedic anthology Strangers in a Strange Land, which is not at all related to Robert A. Heinlein's sci-fi classic. He was also set to co-star with Margaret Cho in Ben Eisner's AIDS-tethered dramedy Ron., though that project was still in pre-production mode as of May 2022.
It wasn't just with acting that the entertainer struck a chord with his fanbase in recent years, either. Jordan became something of a social media obsession for many during the pandemic years, as he offered up a wealth of hilarious stories, warmhearted conversations, jovial dancing, and everything else one would want. He'd amassed over 5.8 million followers on Instagram, where he'd posted as recently as Sunday with a video of him singing hymns, as seen below.
Even just earlier this year, he inspired a collective and non-judgmental "awww" among movie fans by mispronouncing Denis Villeneuve's name during the Oscar nomination announcements.
To that end, Leslie Jordan has been an entertainment gold mine for as long as he's brought his Southern charms to both the big and small screens, with a career that kicked off back in 1986 with roles on The Fall Guy and The Wizard. The next decade saw him appearing in everything from Night Court to Pee-Wee's Playhouse to Lois & Clark to the Married with Children spinoff Top of the Heap opposite future Friends star Matt LeBlanc. Hearts Afire marked a big break for him — even if the series didn't last as long as it could have with sitcom greats like John Ritter and Markie Post — and he went on to take part in hits such as Reba, Boston Legal, Ellen, Desperate Housewives, Raising Hope, Will & Grace and many more.
The Tennessee native was a fan favorite amongst American Horror Story viewers as well, having appeared across three seasons, Coven, Roanoke, and 1984. He wasn't reported to be part of the cast of the new NYC season.
We at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Leslie Jordan as they go through this mournful time. There won't be many more like him in any of our lifetimes.
