Dolly Parton Joins Call Me Kat for Tribute to Late Star Leslie Jordan: 'We're Happy That You're at Peace'
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Miller Mobley/NBC Dolly Parton
In an emotional ending to Thursday's Call Me Kat, country icon Dolly Parton made a surprise appearance to pay tribute to late star Leslie Jordan.
Jordan, who died at 67 in a car crash in late October, was one of the main stars of the Fox show, which paused production following his death to take time to grieve. Jordan played Phil, the head baker at Kat's (Mayim Bialik) café.
After singing a verse from their song "Where the Soul Never Dies," which was on Jordan's 2021 album Company's Comin', Parton addressed her eulogy directly to Jordan.
"I know usually at a memorial, people talk about somebody. Well, I'm going to talk to you," said the "I Will Always Love You" singer, 76. "Because 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."
RELATED: Leslie Jordan Honored at 'Love. Light. Leslie.' Memorial: 'You Made Millions of People Happy'
Lisa Rose/FOX
Parton continued to share how Jordan would not have wanted his loved ones to be sad after his death.
"I just want you to know that we all love you, we all miss you, and I bet you're having a big laugh over all of us being sad and sorrowful. And I know that would be the last thing you would want us to be. You made us happy while you were here, and we're happy that you're at peace. I just want you to know that I will always love you. Goodbye, my sweet Leslie."
Parton's video tribute follows a touching Instagram post from the day he died.
"Well I am as hurt and shocked as if I have lost a family member," she wrote. "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."
Thursday's episode concluded Phil's storyline an off-screen wedding in Tahiti attended by all this closest friends and loved ones. Phil's mother Larlene, played by Jordan's friend Vicki Lawrence (who was cast after his death), revealed that Phil and his now-husband Jalen (John Griffin) had opened up a bakery in Tahiti and would stay there.
RELATED: Watch Leslie Jordan's Moving Call Me Kat Tribute: 'I'm a Big Believer in Celebrating Every Moment'
Before Parton's touching monologue, the stars of the show all gathered around the table to express their regrets that Phil would not be returning to Kat's bakery. The characters then broke the fourth wall with Griffin bringing out Jordan's chair and star Kyla Pratt wrapping his bedazzled blazer around it. Bialik then went on to share how they gave Phil a happy ending, but in reality they are deeply mourning the loss of Jordan.
"He is irreplaceable. We will miss him very much," she said. Together, the costars repeated a phrase that Jordan captioned his last Instagram post announcing a new song the day before he died: "Love. Light. Leslie."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Call Me Kat airs Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on Fox.
