The stars of Will & Grace have paid tribute to their cast mate Leslie Jordan following his death at the age of 67.
The much-loved actor and comic, who played Karen Walker’s frenemy Berverly Leslie in the hit US sitcom, died after his car crashed into a building in Hollywood on Monday.
Megan Mullally, who plays Karen Walker, described the star as “one of the greats” as she shared a photo of them together on set in an emotional Instagram post.
“Leslie was flawlessly funny, a virtuoso of come,” she wrote. “His timing, his delivery, all apparently effortless. you can’t get any better than that.”
Deborah Messing, who plays Grace, said “the whole world has dimmed”.
“The joy and delight you have brought into my life has been a beautiful gift. I wish I had the words,” she wrote.
Eric McCormack, who plays Will, said Leslie was “the funniest and flirtiest southern gent I’ve ever known”, while Sean Hayes (Jack) said his heart was “broken”.
Many other big names from the world of entertainment have also paid tribute to Leslie on social media...
Following the news of Leslie’s death, his representative issued a statement, which read: “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.
“Knowing that he has left the world at the height of both his professional and personal life is the only solace one can have today.”
The Tennessee native, who was famed for his Southern accent, won an outstanding guest actor Emmy in 2005 for his role as Beverly Leslie in Will & Grace.
He also entered the Celebrity Big Brother house as a contestant in 2014.
More recently, he starred in American Horror Story, the Mayim Bialik comedy Call Me Kat and co-starred on the sitcom The Cool Kids.
Leslie also earned an unexpected new following in 2021 when he spent time during the pandemic lockdown near family in his hometown, posting daily videos of himself on Instagram.