Dolly Parton Tributes The Late Leslie Jordan During the Winter Premiere of ‘Call Me Kat’
Fox sitcom Call Me Kit aired its winter premiere on Thursday (Jan. 5), but one cast member was notably absent from the series: Leslie Jordan, who played the role of Phil, died in October at the age of 67.
As Jordan's character was written out of the series with a move to a far-away country, the cast broke the fourth wall during the episode to acknowledge Jordan's death and his contributions to the show. To make the memorial even more special, Jordan got a musical send-off in a cameo starring none other than Dolly Parton.
In her pre-taped video message, Parton sang an a capella snippet of "Where the Soul Never Dies," a song she recorded with Jordan as part of his 2021 collaborative gospel project, Company's Comin'. Parton was one of a number of country stars to feature on that album, which also included duets with Tanya Tucker, Brandi Carlile, Brothers Osborne's TJ Osborne and many more.
After concluding her verse of the song, Parton spoke directly to the late Jordan. "I know usually at a memorial, people talk about somebody. Well, I'm going to talk to you, because there is that place on the other side, and I'm certainly going to see you there, little brother," the singer said, according to video posted to TV Line.
"You left a lot of people here with a lot of precious, precious memories," the country legend continued. "Everybody loved you, but I doubt many of them loved you more than I did."
Elsewhere in her message, Parton spoke to the joy, light and humor Jordan brought to every aspect of his life, adding, "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," she continued. "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."
Jordan was killed on Oct. 24 when his car veered off the road and into a building in Hollywood. Local law enforcement initially suspected that Jordan had suffered a medical emergency that led to the crash. In the weeks after his death, TMZ reported that Jordan had suffered shortness of breath in the weeks leading up to his death, and that he was scheduled to see a cardiologist the same week he died.