Leslie Jordan had become a well-known man in Hollywood since his emergence in the 1980s. Born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Jordan moved to Los Angeles in 1982. His move came soon after studying theater at the University of Tennessee. His first role was a guest appearance on The Fall Guy in 1986, but we all know that was just the start for the beloved actor and comedian. Jordan continued to have one-off guest appearances until 1989 with the recurring role of Truman Fipps in The People Next Door. Jordan’s early, major recurring roles also included Top of the Heap (1991), Reasonable Doubts(1992-1993), Bodies of Evidence (1992-1993), Hearts Afire (1993-1995), and Boston Republic (2001-2002) – according to his IMDB page. His IMDB page notes a total of 133 actor credits, including shows in pre-production. Some of Jordan’s most notable roles were in the television sitcom Will & Grace (latest appearance airing in 2020), three seasonal roles in American Horror Story, and the most recent of his series appearances Call Me Kat. In addition to his television and film success, Jordan also was in a number of theater productions.
Aside from Jordan’s Hollywood spotlight, he also was a role model for the gay community, as well as a recovered addict. Jordan was not openly gay but was also a very active community member early on in the AIDS Crisis. It wasn’t until within the past year or so that Jordan came out with the reality of his struggles. As his transition from a Tennessee boy to an up-and-coming Los Angeles actor and the AIDS crisis clashed together, Jordan found himself becoming a functioning addict. He admitted to using drugs and alcohol for both partying and coping. He was not fully sober until the age of 42, after almost four weeks of jail time for driving under the influence. Jordan stated that he remained in the 12-step recovery program for over twenty years. In the early 1980s, when AIDS had been acknowledged as a crisis, especially in his newfound home of Los Angeles, Jordan did not sit idly back. Instead, he chose to help his community. Jordan was involved in the AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA). In this organization, Jordan was a food-delivery person for those who were too sick with AIDS to leave their homes, through Project Angel Food. He also served as a “buddy” for Project Nightlight. In that role, Jordan would provide emotional support for people who were dying of AIDS.
Jordan was not only a supportive model of his community, an actor, and a theater star. At the end of the day, Jordan was one of the few genuine lights of Hollywood. During the initial lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan rose to social media fame. This was a whole new world for him, and followers (TikTok fans especially), got to watch him throughout his quick following. In a time of darkness for all, regardless of sexual orientation, race, gender, etc., Jordan knew that the world simply needed some laughs. His comedic videos and posts, often starting with “How y’all doing” – I know you read that in his voice – brought a little laughter into the long days of home-boundness. The best part was that he went viral, without even knowing what that meant. Jordan ended up using his viral internet fame to release a book in 2021 entitled How Y’all Doing, compiled of personal essays. Sadly, on October 24, 2022, at approximately 9:30 AM, Leslie Jordan passed away. While the details are still unknown at the release date of this article, early reports do believe he suffered a medical emergency while he was driving – resulting in a fatal crash. It was revealed that Jordan was on his way to the set of the ongoing series Call Me Kat. Family, friends, celebrities, and fans are all mourning yet another Hollywood star taken too soon. Leslie Jordan’s comedic performances and genuine attitude will be missed by many.