HEART PROBLEMS

Leslie Jordan Died of ‘Sudden Cardiac Dysfunction’ During Car Crash

The actor had recently sought medical attention for heart-related issues.

Beloved character actor Leslie Jordan died of natural causes during an incident in which he crashed his car into a building in Hollywood, California, last October, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed to The Daily Beast.

The Will and Grace star’s official cause of death was listed in documents seen by The Beast as primarily “sudden cardiac dysfunction.” A “Cause B” was listed as “arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”

It states his manner of death was “natural.”

No drugs or alcohol were in his system at the time of the crash. At the time, Jordan had reportedly been sober for more than 24 years.

Sudden cardiac dysfunction, according to a 2022 paper published in the National Library of Medicine, describes the condition as “death due to a cardiovascular cause that occurs within one hour of the onset of symptoms.”

It explains how a sudden cardiac arrest occurs “when the heart stops beating or is not beating sufficiently to maintain perfusion and life.”

The second, atherosclerosis, is described by Johns Hopkins as a “thickening or hardening of the arteries. It is caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining of an artery.”

The coroner also confirmed to the New York Post that two of Jordan’s arteries were significantly blocked—and that the actor recently sought medical attention for heart issues, where he was prescribed medication.

Jordan died Oct. 24, suffering the medical episode while he was driving—which caused him to crash. He was reportedly en route to the set of the sitcom, Call Me Kat.

He was pronunced dead at the scene.