Leslie Jordan Cause of Death Confirmed

After Leslie Jordan passed away on October 24, 2022, sitcom Call Me Kat, in which he played a supporting role as a baker at a cat café, halted production. Mayim Bialik, producer and star of the show, says, “He was the kindest person you could ever imagine who simply lit up a room and brought pure joy and huge smiles to millions of people around the world.”

Jordan’s death was a shock. After a “sudden cardiac dysfunction,” the 67-year-old’s car crashed into a Hollywood, CA building. He was found pulseless and not breathing by emergency services, who attempted CPR and defibrillation for 40 minutes with no change in vital signs. He was declared dead at 9:38 a.m.

Shortly after his death, speculation began circling that Jordan’s death was related to his previous struggles with addiction. However, the coroner’s report released on January 19 confirmed there to be no evidence of drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of his passing. He had been sober for over two decades. According to the report, Jordan’s cause of death was “natural causes.” A secondary cause was listed as arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which is the most common cause of sudden death in industrialized countries, according to ScienceDirect. Leslie Jordan had an appointment with a heart doctor scheduled when he passed and was complaining of shortness of breath in the weeks leading up to his death.

In an episode of Call Me Kat released earlier this month, Dolly Parton paid musical tribute to Jordan, singing a portion of “Where the Soul Never Dies,” the song they sang together on Jordan’s 2021 album, Company’s Comin’. During the tribute, Parton says, “There is that place on the other side, and I’m certainly going to see you there, little brother. You left a lot of people here with a lot of precious, precious memories. Everybody loved you, but I doubt many of them loved you more than I did.”