Leslie Jordan died in a car crash in Los Angeles on October 24, 2022. The county medical examiner’s report on Jordan’s cause of death has been deferred pending tests, according to records on the coroner’s website viewed by Heavy. The official autopsy report for the Emmy-winning actor will be released at a later date.
The medical examiner’s website states that Jordan, 67, died in a vehicle. The case status is listed as “deferred pending additional investigation.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, investigators were looking into whether Jordan had a medical emergency before losing control of his BMW and crashing into a building at Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street about 9:30 a.m. The crash remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, The Times reports.
Jordan Had an Upcoming Cardiologist Appointment, TMMZ Reported
TMZ reported, “Leslie Jordan was coping with discomfort in the weeks leading up to his death — a health issue that was concerning enough for him to make an appointment with a cardiologist. … Sources close to the late actor tell TMZ … for the last 3 weeks, he was experiencing shortness of breath. We’re told Leslie was scheduled to see a cardiologist within the next week to check out his heart, and see if there were any underlying health issues.”
TMZ reported that Jordan was otherwise in good health, but did have COVID-19 in 2021. A spokesperson for Jordan said in a statement, “The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan. Not only was he a mega talent and joy to work with, but he provided an emotional sanctuary to the nation at one of its most difficult times.”
The statement added, “What he lacked in height he made up for in generosity and greatness as a son, brother, artist, comedian, partner and human being. Kowing that he has left the world at the height of both his professional and personal life is the only solace one can have today.”
Jordan Was Driving to the Set of ‘Call Me Kat’ When He Died
Jordan, who won an Emmy Award in 2006 for “Will & Grace” and gained newfound fame for his videos on Instagram and TikTok during the start of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, was starring on Fox’s “Call Me Kat” alongside Mayim Bialik. According to TMZ, Jordan was driving to the show’s set when he died.
Bialik posted on Instagram, “There aren’t words to convey the loss we are experiencing as a cast and a Call Me Kat family. Leslie Jordan was larger than life. He was a Southern gentleman; tender, wise, naughty and hilarious.”
She added, “We got to know and love him at the height of his happiness and joy and it is inconceivable to imagine a world without our Leslie: the man who would spit on his contact lenses before putting them in his eyes, the man who had a story about every man in Hollywood and some of the women as well, the man who lived to make people laugh. We will be taking time to grieve and to celebrate the many gifts Leslie gave to us and to the entire world and we appreciate privacy at this time.”
