Leslie Jordan: Will and Grace star dies aged 67

Leslie Jordan, the US actor and comedian, has died after a car accident in Los Angeles, aged 67.

The star, known for his role as Beverley Leslie in Will and Grace, was killed in a crash on Monday, according to US media.

Police told the LA Times that Jordan was behind the wheel of a BMW when he crashed into the side of a building but that it was not immediately clear whether he was killed in the crash or suffered a medical emergency beforehand.

“The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan,” said his agent in a statement.

“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 Tennessee native, who won an outstanding guest actor Emmy in 2005 for his part in Will & Grace, also had a recurring role on the US comedy Call Me Kat, and starred on the sitcom The Cool Kids.

He was also known for his LGBT advocacy, having come out as gay to his mother aged 12.

“I told my mother I thought something was up. I didn’t even know the word ‘gay,’" he said in a magazine interview last year.

“She didn’t pull her Bible out, which I thought she would. She said, ‘I’m just really afraid that if you choose this path, you’ll be ridiculed,’" he said, adding he was advised to "’just live your life quietly.’ I didn’t follow her advice on that one."

Stars of Will & Grace were among those paying tribute to Jordan.

“My heart is broken," said Sean Hayes, who played Jack McFarland on the show.

“Everyone who ever met him, loved him. There will never be anyone like him. A unique talent with an enormous, caring heart. You will be missed, my dear friend.”

He earned an unexpected new following in 2021 by posting daily videos of himself on Instagram during lockdown.

Many of the videos included him asking “How ya’ll doin?” and some included stories about Hollywood or his childhood growing up with identical twin sisters and their "mama”.

He joked:  “Someone called from California and said, ‘Oh, honey, you’ve gone viral.’ And I said, ‘No, no, I don’t have COVID. I’m just in Tennessee.”

His big break came playing the role of a hapless ex-con in a 1989 episode of "Murphy Brown."

“When that episode aired, my agent called the next day and said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this,” he recalled in an interview. “‘The phone is ringing off the hook.’"