Leslie Jordan Was Looking To The Future In His Last Instagram Post
You might recognize Leslie Jordan from "American Horror Story," or from his viral Instagram videos during the pandemic, or even from his time playing fan-favorite character Beverly Leslie on "Will & Grace" — a role for which Jordan won an Emmy, per IMDb. His fans all over the world were devastated when Jordan passed away on October 24, following a car crash in Hollywood. He was just 67.
Among numerous others, Jordan's "Will & Grace" co-star Eric McCormack posted a touching tribute to him. The beloved comedic actor was born in Tennessee, which is where Jordan spent the Covid lockdown in 2020, alongside his mother. Tons of fans reached out about his funny, homemade videos, sharing how much they looked forward to them, and that meant a lot to the actor. "When people tell you things like that, you realize comedy is important," he gushed to The New York Times.
During quarantine, Jordan also recorded a gospel album called "Company's Comin,'" which came out in April 2021. He subsequently made his debut at the famed Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in May 2021, as reported by The Tennessean. On the record, Jordan performs hymns that he sang growing up, backed up by an all-star roster of guests including Dolly Parton, Brandi Carlile, Eddie Vedder, and Tanya Tucker (via Rolling Stone). And, based on what turned out to be his last Instagram post, Jordan was looking forward to recording and releasing more music.
Leslie Jordan was working on new gospel music
The day before Leslie Jordan's death, he posted a video to Instagram of him singing hymns while accompanied by singer-songwriter Danny Myrick on the guitar. In the caption, Jordan wrote: "Danny helped me with a new original song that should be comin' out real soon. Love. Light. Leslie." Seems like his goal was to have a follow-up to his first album.
The lyrics of the hymn are deeply touching considering what happened to Jordan. They include: "When the trumpets of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more / And the morning breaks eternal bright and fair / When the saved of verse should gather over on the other shore / When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there."
Jordan grew up gay in the conservative Baptist church, and he opened up to The Tennessean about not feeling "accepted in organized religion" and having a hard time even listening to hymns as a result. But, over time and after getting sober, Jordan found comfort in the songs and his faith alike, sharing: "I know what my beliefs are. God knows my heart. And I'm good, and I do well."
The "Will & Grace" star also mentioned toying around with the idea of writing a musical about a gay traveling minister running a hilariously devious scam. With the volume of comments on Jordan's last video, it's clear that he will be dearly missed by many.