The Los Angeles County coroner’s office has listed Leslie Jordan’s cause of death as “deferred” pending further investigation after the actor crashed his car and died Monday in Hollywood.
After conducting an autopsy Tuesday, the medical examiner was not able to determine the cause of death and has requested additional studies and/or tests to reevaluate the case. An autopsy was scheduled after it was not immediately clear whether Jordan was killed in the car accident or suffered a medical emergency inside the vehicle beforehand.
The beloved entertainer was declared dead at the scene this week after crashing his BMW into a building at Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street. He was 67. Authorities have been working to determine the cause of death, but those at the scene suspected Jordan suffered a cardiac episode prior to the crash, according to law enforcement.
Jordan reportedly was driving to the set of his network sitcom, “Call Me Kat,” when he crashed. TMZ reported Wednesday that Jordan’s colleagues started to worry when the actor-comedian didn’t show up to work more than an hour after his call time. People working on the production reportedly tried to locate Jordan before learning that he had been involved in a car accident.
Fox’s “Call Me Kat” stars Jordan, Mayim Bialik, Swoosie Kurtz, Kyla Pratt, Julian Gant, Cheyenne Jackson and Christopher Rivas. Jordan played Phil, the head baker at the titular character’s cat café.
Representatives for Jordan and Fox did not immediately respond Wednesday to requests for comment.
In a joint statement provided Monday to The Times, the cast and producers of “Call Me Kat” remembered Jordan as “tender, wise, naughty and hilarious.”
“We got to know and love him at the height of his happiness and joy and it is inconceivable to imagine a world without our Leslie: the man who would spit on his contact lenses before putting them in his eyes, the man who had a story about every man in Hollywood and some of the women as well, the man who lived to make people laugh,” they said, adding that production on the show would be paused to “grieve and to celebrate the many gifts Leslie gave to us and to the entire world.”
In addition to “Call Me Kat,” Jordan was known for his work on “Will & Grace,” “American Horror Story” and many other movies and TV series.