The actor, best recognized for his roles in Will and Grace as well as American Horror Story, has been killed in a car accident in Los Angeles early Monday morning, according to US media.
According to the LA Times, Jordan’s car collided with the side of a building, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His publicist stated that his death had made the world a “darker place.”
In addition to being a mega talent and a joy to work with, he offered a sentimental sanctuary to the country during one of its most trying times,” David Shaul said. “The only solace one can have today is knowing that he left the world at the pinnacle of both his personal and professional life.”
Officers also stated that it was not clear whether Jordan was killed in the crash, or if he had suffered from a medical emergency prior to the incident.
Jordan’s agent, Don LeClair, told Reuters that the accident occurred while he was on his way to the Warner Bros. studio set of the Fox tv series Call Me Kat.
Jordan portrayed Phil, the lead baker at Kat’s cafe, in the show, which was premised on the popular British sitcom Miranda.
According to Variety, production on Series 3 has been halted.
Birthed in 1955 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he came out as gay to his mother when he was 12 years old in the deeply conservative United states state. “I told my mom I suspected something was wrong. “I didn’t even know what the word ‘gay’ meant,” he admitted to People magazine last year.
“She did not pull out her Bible, which I expected. ‘I’m just really afraid,’ she explained.You will be ridiculed for choosing this path she said telling him to just “live his life quietly” which advice he did not follow.
He moved to Los Angeles after his graduation from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1982 and worked his way through a variety of roles before landing his breakthrough role on the drama Murphy Brown.
He was known for his short stature, standing at only 4ft 11in (1.50m), and for playing flamboyant characters.
He rose to prominence as Beverley Leslie in the US sitcom Will and Grace, for which he did win a Primetime Emmy in 2006.
Other tv appearances include Murphy Brown, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Star Trek: Voyager, Boston Public, as well as American Horror Story.
Jordan rose to prominence among young viewers as a social media star during the Covid-19 pandemic, posting daily updates whilst in isolation in his apartment in his home town, Chattanooga.
Jordan amassed over 5.8 million Instagram followers by posting twice a day about his life, providing commentary on pop music, and choreographing dance routines.
“‘You have gone viral,’ said a friend of mine who called from California. ‘No, honey, I’m fine,’ I replied. ‘I don’t have Covid,’ I say “In one video, he made a joke.
He was transparent about his struggles with substance abuse, having taken his first drink at the age of 14, and once joked about ending up in a cell next to Robert Downey Jr. while the Iron Man star was fighting addiction. Jordan later joked, “I’m partly responsible for his accomplishment.”
He got sober in the 1990s and later told CNN host Anderson Cooper about his battle with addiction. “People ask, ‘How do you get sober? What’s the best way?'” Jordan explained. “Yeah, 120 days in the Los Angeles County Jail. That should wake you up.”
Jordan’s Will and Grace co-star Sean Hayes described him as “one of the funniest people I’ve ever had the privilege of working with,” and a slew of other celebrities paid tribute.
“Everybody who met him loved him,” Hayes continued. “No one will ever be like him. A one-of-a-kind talent with a huge, caring heart. My good friend, you will be missed.”
