Three months since beloved actor Leslie Jordan died, we now know his official cause of death after the Los Angeles Coroner released their results. According to PEOPLE, the comedian suffered “sudden cardiac dysfunction” at the time of his death. The outlet cites the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office to confirm their information, and adds that Jordan’s death was determined to be from natural causes.” The coroner’s office also noted arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease as a secondary factor in his death.
Jordan died on Oct. 24, with TMZ reporting that the 64-year-old actor was involved in a car accident. He was said to have “suffered some sort of medical emergency” that may have caused him to crash his BMW into the side of a building in Hollywood. Following his death, it was reported that Jordan had complained he was experiencing shortness of breath. Sources close to Call Me Kat star stated that his health was enough of a concern that he’d scheduled an appointment to meet with a cardiologist. The outlet also noted that some first responders believed that Jordan may have suffered a heart attack. No evidence of drugs or alcohol was found in Jordan’s system. The comedian had been sober for over 20 years at the time of his death.
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Authorities released a 911 call made from the scene of Jordan’s crash, and the audio reveals some minor details about the tragic incident. According to ET — which obtained the recording — a bystander called for help, telling the 911 operator, “There’s a man in a four-door BMW, in a grey vehicle, that crashed against the building.” The caller also explained, “There’s other people trying to open the car door and to get this gentleman out.” The outlet also noted that Jordan was reportedly not breathing when first responders arrived.
In the wake of Jordan’s death, Call Me Kat announced that Emmy Award-winning actress Vicki Lawrence (Mama’s Family, The Carol Burnett Show) would be guest starring in an episode of the sitcom, playing Lurlene Crumpler, the mother of Jordan’s character, Phil Crumpler. Jordan and Lawrence previously worked together on another Fox sitcom, The Cool Kids, which followed the lives of a senior citizen group living together in a retirement home.
During Jordan’s memorial farewell episode, Phil was revealed to have gone off on a Tahiti vacation with his partner Jalen. The pair advised their friends that they had chosen to stay in Tahiti and buy a small bakery to run. At the end of the episode, the cast broke down in tears, revealing that they made the decision to give Jordan’s character a happy ending.
