Leslie Jordan's Loved Ones Reflect on the Actor's 'Wonderful Legacy' Nearly 1 Year After His Death (Exclusive)

Hundreds of friends, family members and fans gathered on Friday as the 'Will & Grace' and 'Call Me Kat' actor received a posthumous star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars

Nearly a year after Leslie Jordan died of a sudden cardiac dysfunction on Oct. 24, 2022, his fans and those closest to him continue to celebrate his life and legacy.

Hundreds gathered on Friday to honor the beloved character actor as members of the Palm Spring Chamber of Commerce and the local City Council unveiled the latest addition to the town's Walk of Stars.

Cricket Jordan — the actor's younger sister and sole surviving immediately family member — was one of many speakers who fondly remembered the Will & Grace Emmy winner, sharing anecdotes from their childhood and paying homage to the best qualities he embodied during his 67 years, including empathy, humility, generosity and talent.

Related: Leslie Jordan's Life in Photos

The event was co-hosted by Del Shores and Emerson Collins, who led the fundraising efforts of the Del Shores Foundation to sponsor Jordan's long-awaited star in Palm Springs.

Among the others who joined Cricket, Shores and Collins in paying tribute were Jordan's Call Me Kat costar Cheyenne Jackson, award-winning actress Dale Dickey and members of the cast of the Sordid Lives films and TV series, including Newell and Rosemary Alexander and Ann Walker.

Shores tailored parts for Jordan in Sordid Lives, Southern Baptist Sissies and many theatrical productions across their four-decade friendship. The writer-director kicked off the ceremony with a greeting made famous by Jordan in his viral Instagram videos during the COVID-19 pandemic: "Well s---."

Noting that his "muse" could not be present for the occasion, Shores said, "I'm not gonna be sad, and ... I don't think he would want you to be sad either. I think he would want us to celebrate, and I think he would want us to rejoice, and I think he would want us to remember his light and his love and all of the laughs that he gave every one of us."

In that spirit, the Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife playwright quipped, "On a side note, I just love that there's a trailer here, and I think very it's fitting that Leslie's star is looking at Marilyn's ass," referencing the 26-ft.-tall statue just yards away recreating Marilyn Monroe's iconic scene from The Seven Year Itch.

Related: Leslie Jordan's Former Costars Hold Impromptu Memorial: 'We're Not Gonna Stay Sad, We're Gonna Celebrate'

Collins similarly noted that "Leslie found the humor in everything," but also praised the actor's under-sung dramatic talents that balanced "the joy of his comedy and the pain and the honesty underneath it."

"We all have great, hilarious stories," continued Collins. "And I tried many times over the years to tell Leslie how much he meant to me — how much as a young, gay man I was inspired by the fact that he was loud and out and proud in his life, in his work, long before so many others. He couldn't hide, and so he didn't hide."

Related: How Leslie Jordan Got Sober and Found Acceptance: Now 'Every Day Is Like Gravy' 

Bart Stevens, Jordan's personal assistant for a decade prior to his death, bore witness to Jordan's positive impact both before and beyond his death.

"It's been amazing as I've run into people and disclosed that I worked for him, without fail, people light up and generally share very personal stories about how he's affected them and how profound his light and love has taken them from the darkness," he shared.

Walker — who played Jordan's on-screen sister in Sordid Lives — echoed that sentiment: "Anywhere we went, anywhere, you'd be with Leslie and all of a sudden you became as big a star as he did."

Stevens affirmed, "He truly was a remarkable man with quite a journey. And still, his love and light goes on. I will say, he is a beloved celebrity, but it's how he treated people that truly marks to me that he's a star. He had such personal kindness and a generous spirit."

Related: Leslie Jordan Sings Poignant Hymn on Instagram One Day Before His Death: 'Love' and 'Light'

Rosemary Alexander shared her memories of Jordan as "a fearless performer" — not least of which when he picked up a sledgehammer to aid Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott in transforming her and her husband Newell's house for an episode of Celebrity IOU that aired shortly after Jordan's death.

Rosemary noted that the "best part" of the renovation wasn't necessarily the home upgrade but the fact that, "the last two months of his life I probably would never have seen him because he was flying to New York, he was flying to Tennessee. One of his baby sisters passed away, his mother passed away. And during those times, I got to put my arms around him and hold him and cry with him and share a special love borne of all of that time together over 40 years."

Related: Dolly Parton Joins 'Call Me Kat' for Tribute to Late Star Leslie Jordan: 'We're Happy That You're at Peace'

Jackson shared some previously unheard — and hilariously NSFW — stories about his time with Jordan (whom he dubbed "my dirty-mouthed little sidekick") on the sets of Call Me Kat and American Horror Story: Roanoke. After the event, he told PEOPLE he still thinks of Jordan every time he hears "filthy limericks, Dolly Parton and gospel music."

"He taught me to have fun. I can get very serious about my work," Jackson noted, adding that Jordan taught him to "make the most of your time and laugh. And he told me to wear tighter pants."

Related: Leslie Jordan Honored at 'Love. Light. Leslie.' Memorial: 'You Made Millions of People Happy'

Dickey recalled her scenes opposite Jordan in Southern Baptist Sissies, which were generally spent trying not to break in spite of his crack comic timing.

"Leslie was a true star in every single sense of the word," she said. "He left such a wonderful legacy — and that's who he was. He was so giving on stage and off."

The Winter's Bone actress and Jordan's sister Cricket both reflected on a story the actor would tell about his father's advice to young Leslie to embrace his larger-than-life personality. "You have the gift of laughter, don't you ever forget it," Dickey recalled the story going, and Cricket added that her father had told his son: "God said, 'Don't hide your light under a bushel, Leslie. You have a talent. They're not laughing at you, they're laughing with you.' And that's where [his mantra] 'Love. Light. Leslie.' came from — the light he did not hide under a bushel."

Before receiving a framed replica of her brother's star and a proclamation declaring Oct. 20 Leslie Jordan Day in Palm Springs, Cricket closed out the speeches by telling attendees, "Leslie's up there twirling right now, he's so happy."

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Getting a star in Palm Springs had been one of Jordan's dreams since March 2021. At Friday's ceremony, Cricket mused aloud, "What would Leslie say about today? First of all, he's say, 'It's about time.'"

The crowd laughed — just another of many peels throughout the hour-long tribute to a late friend whose joy has carried on, even as some memories now carry a bittersweet tinge.

"He wants us to smile and be happy, be joyful," Dickey told PEOPLE after the event. "What a beautiful gift — he turned his life around and did so much. But in the end, he touched millions of people's lives. What a glorious story."

Walker added, "We miss him more than we can ever say."

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