Paul Reubens Pays Tribute to Leslie Jordan With a Clip From ‘Pee-Wee’s Playhouse’: ‘He Was Pure Magic’
Following the death of American Horror Story actor and Instagram phenomenon Leslie Jordan, Hollywood has paid tribute on social media.
Comedian Paul Reubens, known to some as Pee-wee Herman, was among the friends who shared some words about the “unique and funny” talent. He recalled loving Jordan “instantly” from the moment he saw him on television and later met him as a guest on his show, Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
Leslie Jordan died on the scene of a single-vehicle accident
Tragically, Jordan died unexpectedly in a single-car accident on October 24. According to The Los Angeles Times, the 67-year-old was driving a BMW when he “crashed into the side of a building at Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street at 9:30 a.m.,” LA Police Department Officer Lizeth Lomeli told the outlet.
Jordan was reportedly declared dead at the scene. But authorities have not yet determined a cause of death and have not ruled out the possibility that he had a medical emergency behind the wheel.
Paul Reubens paid tribute to Leslie Jordan with a clip from ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’
On Twitter, Reubens shared a clip of Jordan on an episode of Pee-wee’s Playhouse. In the episode, Jordan played a character who was new in town and wanted to be “just like” Pee-wee. So, he dressed like Pee-wee, talked like Pee-wee, and even took some of his things.
Their on-screen conflict seemingly didn’t spill into real life, as Reubens shared more about how Jordan came to be on the show, which started with admiration. He wrote that he first remembered seeing Jordan in 1989 on an episode of Murphy Brown.
“He was so unique and funny. I loved him instantly,” Reubens wrote. “That was one of the greatest, most magical superpowers he had — you fell in love with him as soon as you saw him, and he spoke anything.”
He added, “I was immediately so obsessed with his talent and ability that we wrote an episode for him on Pee-wee’s Playhouse. It happened very quickly, and soon after I’d seen him on tv, there he was on my set.”
Reubens explained that he got to know Jordan during the week he was a guest star. “In person,” he offered, “he was kind, generous, gentle, and would quip stuff under his breath that was hilarious.”
“Simply, there was no one even remotely like him. He was pure magic. RIP, Leslie,” he concluded.
Paul Reubens noted in his tribute that Leslie Jordan seemed to be ‘checking things off his bucket list’
In his Twitter tribute, Reubens touched on Jordan’s Instagram fame and “rise during the pandemic,” sharing “[it] was a beautiful thing to see happen.”
He wrote, “I don’t think anyone was immune to his charm. If you didn’t know him personally, you still couldn’t miss his supernova-ness.”
Reubens noted that Jordan “became so well known that he seemingly started checking off things on his bucket list — the least of which was becoming a country singer.”
“The joy that came through in his music and singing, especially his excitement from performing at The Grand Ole Opry, was wonderful to behold,” he shared.
