Leslie Jordan loved Instagram and it loved him right back

CNN
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Scrolling through Leslie Jordan’s Instagram account could make you smile, laugh, and, now, cry.

Following the death of the comedic actor Monday at the age of 67, many have been flocking to his verified account to share their grief.

It seems only appropriate given Jordan’s prolific use of the social media platform.

During the height of the pandemic, he brought joy to so many with his trademark greeting, “Well s**t. How y’all doing?” delivered in his classic Southern drawl.

Instagram brought Jordan more fame and offered his audience a platform to connect with a sassy, funny, uncle-type many needed during a dark time.

Jordan told the Washington Post in 2020 that he had returned from California to his native Chattanooga on family business and decided to stay to shelter in place with his loved ones.

“I would much rather be hunkered down with my family,” he said at the time. “My mother is 94, I have an identical twin sister – it’s like a Tennessee Williams play. We’re all here.”

The desire to be close – but not too close – to family felt relatable to many.

“I took a little place nearby, an Airbnb nearby, because I thought, ‘I cannot, at 65, move back in with my mother.’ So in the evenings I come over here,” he quipped.

The “Call Me Kat” star told Tulsa World in 2021 that he posted twice a day for 80 days.

“A friend called from California and said, ‘You’ve gone viral,’” Jordan recalled. “And I said, ‘No, I’m fine.’ And he said, ‘No, you are viral.’”

He would soon learn what that meant. Jordan grew an Instagram following of nearly 6 million people over who reveled in his jokes, observations and stories.

In one video from 2020, he sits on his kitchen counter attempting to meditate and delve into his mind before giving up.

“Holy s**t,” he joked. “I don’t want to be up in my mind. It’s like a bad neighborhood honey, you do not want to be there alone.”

Jordan seemed to enjoy his antics as much as his audience.

He told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “You’ve got to have fun, you’ve got to keep your spirits up. You’ve got to laugh. You’ve got to help one another.”

Jordan’s final post before he died, posted Sunday, gave some chills in light of what was to come.

It featured him singing a hymn with artist Danny Myrick.

“When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there,” they sang together.