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.”
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.”
“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.”
“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.”
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.
