Leslie Jordan.Photo: Elisabeth Caren/FOX
Nearly a year afterLeslie Jordandiedof asudden cardiac dysfunctionon Oct. 24, 2022, his fans and those closest to him continue to celebrate his life and legacy.
Hundreds gathered on Friday to honor the beloved character actor as members of the Palm Spring Chamber of Commerce and the local City Council unveiled the latest addition to the town’s Walk of Stars.
Cricket Jordan — the actor’s younger sister and sole surviving immediately family member — was one of many speakers who fondly remembered theWill & GraceEmmy winner, sharing anecdotes from their childhood and paying homage to the best qualities he embodied during his 67 years, including empathy, humility, generosity and talent.
Front row (left to right): Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce CEO Nona Watson, Cricket Jordan and Palm Springs City Council Member Lisa Middleton; back row (left to right): Del Shores, Mike Lotus and Emerson Collins.Del Shores Foundation/David A. Lee Photography
Del Shores Foundation/David A. Lee Photography
Noting that his “muse” could not be present for the occasion, Shores said, “I’m not gonna be sad, and … I don’t think he would want you to be sad either. I think he would want us to celebrate, and I think he would want us to rejoice, and I think he would want us to remember his light and his love and all of the laughs that he gave every one of us.”
In that spirit, theTrials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewifeplaywright quipped, “On a side note, I just love that there’s a trailer here, and I think very it’s fitting that Leslie’s star is looking at Marilyn’s ass,” referencing the26-ft.-tall statuejust yards away recreatingMarilyn Monroe’s iconic scene fromThe Seven Year Itch.
Leslie Jordan.Slaven Vlasic/Getty
Collins similarly noted that “Leslie found the humor in everything,” but also praised the actor’s under-sung dramatic talents that balanced “the joy of his comedy and the pain and the honesty underneath it.”
Bart Stevens, Jordan’s personal assistant for a decade prior to his death, bore witness to Jordan’s positive impact both before and beyond his death.
“It’s been amazing as I’ve run into people and disclosed that I worked for him, without fail, people light up and generally share very personal stories about how he’s affected them and how profound his light and love has taken them from the darkness,” he shared.
Handout/Getty
Walker — who played Jordan’s on-screen sister inSordid Lives— echoed that sentiment: “Anywhere we went, anywhere, you’d be with Leslie and all of a sudden you became as big a star as he did.”
Stevens affirmed, “He truly was a remarkable man with quite a journey. And still, his love and light goes on. I will say, he is a beloved celebrity, but it’s how he treated people that truly marks to me that he’s a star. He had such personal kindness and a generous spirit.”
Cheyenne jackson, Dale Dickey and Emerson Collins.Del Shores Foundation/David A. Lee Photography
Rosemary Alexander shared her memories of Jordan as “a fearless performer” — not least of which when he picked up a sledgehammer to aidProperty BrothersDrewandJonathan Scottin transforming her and her husband Newell’s house for an episode ofCelebrity IOUthat aired shortly after Jordan’s death.
Jackson shared some previously unheard — and hilariously NSFW — stories about his time with Jordan (whom he dubbed “my dirty-mouthed little sidekick”) on the sets ofCall Me KatandAmerican Horror Story: Roanoke. After the event, he told PEOPLE he still thinks of Jordan every time he hears “filthy limericks,Dolly Partonandgospel music.”
“He taught me to have fun. I can get very serious about my work,” Jackson noted, adding that Jordan taught him to “make the most of your time and laugh. And he told me to wear tighter pants.”
Cricket Jordan and Del Shores.Del Shores Foundation/David A. Lee Photography
Dickey recalled her scenes opposite Jordan inSouthern Baptist Sissies, which were generally spent trying not to break in spite of his crack comic timing.
“Leslie was a true star in every single sense of the word,” she said. “He left such a wonderful legacy — and that’s who he was. He was so giving on stage and off.”
TheWinter’s Boneactress and Jordan’s sister Cricket both reflected on a story the actor would tell about his father’s advice to young Leslie to embrace his larger-than-life personality. “You have the gift of laughter, don’t you ever forget it,” Dickey recalled the story going, and Cricket added that her father had told his son: “God said, ‘Don’t hide your light under a bushel, Leslie. You have a talent. They’re not laughing at you, they’re laughingwithyou.’ And that’s where [his mantra]‘Love. Light. Leslie.‘came from — the light he did not hide under a bushel.”
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Getting a star in Palm Springs had been one of Jordan’s dreams since March 2021. At Friday’s ceremony, Cricket mused aloud, “What would Leslie say about today? First of all, he’s say, ‘It’s about time.'”
The crowd laughed — just another of many peels throughout the hour-long tribute to a late friend whose joy has carried on, even as some memories now carry a bittersweet tinge.
“He wants us to smile and be happy, be joyful,” Dickey told PEOPLE after the event. “What a beautiful gift —he turned his life aroundand did so much. But in the end, he touched millions of people’s lives. What a glorious story.”
Walker added, “We miss him more than we can ever say.”
source: people.com
