The Emmy-winning actor whose wry Southern drawl and versatility made him a comedy and drama standout on TV series including 'Will & Grace' and 'American Horror Story', has died. Photo: AP
Authorities are trying to determine a cause of death for Leslie Jordan, the beloved comedy actor who died Monday (Oct 24) after his car crashed into a building in Hollywood.
The Los Angeles County coroner plans an autopsy Tuesday on Jordan, 67, who was declared dead at the scene after the BMW he was driving slammed into a building at Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street.
It was not immediately clear whether Jordan was killed in the crash or suffered a medical emergency beforehand, but the condition of the vehicle suggested he may have lost control of the car, a law enforcement source said.
The source told the LA Times on Tuesday that those at the scene suspect Jordan suffered some kind of cardiac episode prior to the crash.
Black skid marks from Cahuenga Boulevard led over the curb and onto the sidewalk where Jordan’s BMW struck the building’s metal facade around 9.30am and dented it.
Jordan won an Emmy in 2006 for his performance as the snide Beverley Leslie in the hit TV show Will & Grace and became an Internet sensation during the pandemic.
The diminutive dandy – Jordan was 4 feet 11 (1.49m) and openly gay – was celebrated as an LGBTQ icon who expanded the possibilities of queer identity on and off the screen.
As news of his death circulated Monday, police continued to investigate the crash scene while fans created a makeshift memorial at the intersection.
Joey Wiser and Felipe Araipa dropped by on their way home. Both grew up watching Jordan on Will & Grace and were among the millions who enjoyed his amusing pandemic dispatches on Instagram.
“I think it brought a lot of us together in a time when we were not sure what was going on,” Wiser said of Jordan’s social media antics.
Chloë Phoenix, who drove to the site with her mother, Jessie, and sister Jazmine, gleefully pulled out her phone and grinned while watching one of Jordan’s viral videos, where he spins with a baton in hand and yells, “Daddy, watch me twirl!”
Their mother said Jazmine was in tears after learning about his death.
“Not a lot of celebrities touch you in that way,” Jessie Phoenix said after the family lit a prayer candle alongside flowers. “This was a total crush for us.” – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
