Dolly Parton Mourns Death Of “Lil’ Brother” Leslie Jordan

(Left) WJHL / YouTube / (Right) Circle All Access / YouTube

Actor, comedian, and singer Leslie Jordan passed away on Monday (October 24) at the age of 67. Page Six reports:

“The famed comedian was driving in Hollywood when, it was later suspected, he suffered some sort of medical emergency and crashed his BMW into the side of a building.”

Jordan’s death comes a year after he released his first country album, Company’s Comin’. The album features collaborations with some of Jordan’s dearest friends in the country music community, including Tanya Tucker, Chris and Morgane Stapleton, and Dolly Parton.

Parton joined Jordan on the gospel song “Where the Soul Never Dies.”

When Jordan was a guest on Shania Twain‘s Home Now Radio show, he explained what it was like to work with Parton. He said the two of them clicked right away.

“I went and met Dolly and she was just adorable,” he said, as quoted by PEOPLE. “We just hit it off. We’re both Tennesseans. We were the same height exactly, eyeball to eyeball.”

Parton had the idea to have some of her family members sing backing vocals on their song. Jordan agreed to have them on the track, and he loved the ending result.

“When you hear the choir at the end of that, that’s Dolly Parton’s family…Oh my gosh, it was really something,” he told Twain.

After news broke that Jordan passed away, a “hurt” Parton took to social media to honor him. She released the following statement:

“Well I am as hurt and shocked as if I have lost a family member. Leslie and I had a special bond, I think the world felt they had a special bond with him. I know people always say “Oh, they will be missed” but in this case that could not be more true. He will be missed by everyone who knew him personally and by everyone who was entertained by him. Rest in peace lil’ brother.”

You can see Parton’s statement below.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who knew and loved Jordan. What Parton said is true…he will be so dearly missed.