Eric McCormack Pays Tribute to ‘Will & Grace’ Co-Star Leslie Jordan Following His Sudden Death

Eric McCormack is “crushed” to learn about the sudden death of his Will & Grace co-star Leslie Jordan. The beloved actor, who won an Emmy for his portrayal of Beverley Leslie on the NBC show, passed away Monday at the age of 67 after suffering a suspected medical emergency while driving and crashing his car into the side of a Hollywood building, reported TMZ.

Following news of Jordan’s death, McCormack took to Twitter to pay tribute to “the funniest & flirtiest southern gent” he’s ever met. “Crushed to learn about the loss of [Leslie Jordan], the funniest & flirtiest southern gent I’ve ever known.” the Perception actor wrote, ” The joy and laughter he brought to every one of his #WillandGrace episodes was palpable. Gone about thirty years too soon. You were loved, sweet man. “

Jordan grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee before studying off to study theater at the University of Tennessee and moving to Hollywood in 1982. Once there, he made his name working on shows like Will & Grace, Hearts Afire, The Cool Kids, Call Me Kat and American Horror Story with his signature sense of humor. “I think my dad would be so proud of me. I get my gift of humor from him,” Jordan told PEOPLE in January 2021. “He was the funniest man alive.” 

“When I’m in Tennessee, I catch mother kind of looking at me sometimes. She’ll say, ‘You look your dad.’” the actor continued through tears. “I can’t tell you the number of people that will come up to me in grocery stores back home and say, ‘You have got to be Alan Jordan’s boy.’” Jordan’s social media presence early in the COVID-19 pandemic then endeared him to a whole new generation. “People knew me from my characters, but I’m amazed that, people discovered me as me. They loved me,” he noted of his candid Instagram videos. “And they came back.”

Despite his larger-than-life personality, Jordan said he was happily living alone and hadn’t been out past 6 p.m. in years. “I love being by myself,” he explained. “I think that has a lot to do with my twin sisters. Growing up, they were so close, and then there was me. I played by myself a lot. I’m very a quiet person and very much a loner. But today I am more comfortable with who I am than ever. Every day is like gravy.”