Months after the sudden death of Leslie Jordan, Eddie Vedder and others honored the late actor and comedian during a Nashville tribute concert over the weekend.
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According to the Tennessean, more than a dozen country music artists performed at the Grand Ole Opry House on Sunday (February 19th) to pay tribute to Leslie Jordan. The actor, who was best known for his roles in Will & Grace, Call Me Kat, and American Horror Story, died following a car crash. Jordan made headlines as a social media sensation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He often referred to his viewers as being his fellow “hunker-downers.”
One year after the pandemic hit the U.S., Leslie Jordan release his debut album, Company’s Comin’, which was a collection of songs that were recorded in Nashville. He made his Grand Ole Opry debut later that year.
Along with country music artists, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder also made an appearance during Sunday’s major music event. He made his historic debut on the Opry stage. All proceeds from the event went to Epidermolysis Bullosa research.
Others at the event were Maren Morris, Brothers Osbourne, Ashley McBryde, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, and Fancy Hagood. Among Leslie Jordan’s friends and co-stars who attended the performance were Jim Parsons, Anthony Mason, Mayim Bialik, and Max Greenfield.
Eddie Vedder Talks Preparing For the Show to Honor Leslie Jordan
While speaking to the Tennessean about preparing for the Sunday night event, Eddie Vedder explained there was a sense of pressure when it came to honoring the late Leslie Jordan.
“We’ve been thinking about this show in this venue and this person every day, for so many days leading up to this,” Vedder explained. He and Lukas Nelson took to the stage to perform Maybe It’s Time by Jason Isbell. “It’s a good thing to be emotional and be in the moment. But it also means that you might [mess] up a chord or two.”
Vedder also spoke about first hearing about Leslie Jordan’s tragic passing. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer stated there was pain in having to tell his daughters about the actor’s death. He then talked about hanging out with Jordan’s other musical friends to prepare for the show. “It’s the best we’ve felt in a long, long time,” he admitted. “I was a little surprised to find out he was from Chattanooga, Because when I saw him, I thought ‘Oh, he hails from the Diminutive Republic.’”
Although she wasn’t able to attend the big event, country music legend Dolly Parton sent a video tribute to Leslie Jordan. “You left a lot of people here with a lot of precious, precious memories,” she stated in the video. “Everybody loves you, but I doubt that many of them loved you more than I did.”
