Leslie Jordan died of sudden cardiac dysfunction, autopsy finds

An autopsy has determined that actor and comedian Leslie Jordan’s death last October at the age of 67 was from sudden cardiac dysfunction, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office confirmed Thursday. 

On Oct. 24, the “Will and Grace” and “American Horror Story” actor was found in his car in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles without a pulse after getting into a car accident. The L.A. Fire Department reported that his gray sedan collided with a curb and a tree.

Firefighters and paramedics tried to perform CPR and other life saving techniques on Jordan, but he was eventually pronounced dead at the scene.

The autopsy determined that Jordan’s death was from sudden cardiac dysfunction as a result of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the department said. 

Jordan’s death was ruled “natural,” and all toxicology tests for marijuana, alcohol and other drugs came back negative, the autopsy found.

According to the Mayo Clinic, arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease occurs when the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from the heart to the rest of the body becomes thick and stiff, potentially limiting blood flow to the body’s organs and tissues.

Jordan appeared in movies and television shows and was an accomplished stage actor and playwright. But he was best known for his recurring role as Beverly Leslie on the NBC sitcom “Will & Grace,” for which he won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006.