Leslie Jordan, the beloved actor and comedian who became a viral sensation during the pandemic, previewed a new original song a day before his death at age 67. The Will & Grace and Hearts Afire star died Monday morning in a single-car accident in Hollywood, TMZ reported. According to law enforcement officials, Jordan crashed his vehicle into the side of a building after suffering a medical emergency while driving.Along with his roles on American Horror Story, The Cool Kids, and Call Me Kat, the Emmy-winning actor was a singer who debuted his first album, titled Company’s Comin’, just last year.
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“Sunday Mornin’ Hymn Singin’ with @dannymyrick. Danny helped me with a new original song that should be comin’ out real soon,” Jordan captioned a video shared to his Instagram on Sunday, October 23rd. “Love. Light. Leslie.”
Jordan and Myrick previously collaborated on “In All Things” from Company’s Comin’. Jordan, who has nearly six million followers on Instagram, became a global celebrity when his viral videos emerged as a source of comedy and comfort for his “fellow hunker-downers” during the pandemic.
The Chattanooga, Tennessee-born actor and comedian released his music on Spotify and YouTube, most recently releasing a single, “Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth,” with Cheyenne Jackson in 2021.
Jordan’s gospel-inspired debut album, Company’s Comin’, is described as offering “raw, electrifying takes on traditional hymns and brand new originals written just for the occasion, with a playful mix of righteous gospel, classic country, vintage soul and Americana/roots.” The album — which featured duet partners Dolly Parton, Eddie Vedder, Tanya Tucker, Chris and Morgane Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Ashley McBryde, T.J. Osborne of Brothers Osborne, Charlie Worsham, and Katie Pruitt — includes the hit song “Farther Along,” which has been streamed more than one million times on Spotify.
“I grew up in the church, in the Southern Baptist church. When you grow up in the church, everything that we did — even socially — was around the church. It was just such a big part of our lives. And I loved that music,” Jordan told NPR in an interview last year. “And then, whatever axe I had to grind with the church as I got older and realized I was a homosexual … and it’s hard to embrace something that doesn’t embrace you. So, I wandered away.”
Jordan added: “But over the years you get older and you look back and you think, ‘Well, you know what. Everybody’s doing the best they can with the life they have.’”
Fans have taken to social media to remember Jordan, with one user writing: “He definitely helped me through the pandemic. He was a Ray of Sunshine!”
Jordan most recently appeared on episodes of The Masked Singer and RuPaul’s Drag Race. Along with his original song to be released posthumously, Jordan will appear in the documentary Body Electric and an upcoming episode of Trixie Motel.
“The world is definitely a much darker placetoday without the love and light of Leslie Jordan,” his talent agent,David Shaul, said in a statement. “Not only was he a mega talentand joy to work with, but he provided an emotional sanctuary to thenation at one of its most difficult times. What he lacked in height hemade up for in generosity and greatness as a son, brother, artist,comedian, partner and human being. Knowing that he has left the world atthe height of both his professional and personal life is the onlysolace one can have today.”
