Dolly Parton Says She and Leslie Jordan ‘Had A Special Bond’

Dolly Parton posted her sadness about the passing of Leslie Jordan this morning (10/25) after hearing about the news of his death yesterday at age 67 in a car crash in Hollywood. 

Dolly posted on Instagram, "Well, I am as hurt and shocked as if I have lost a family member. Leslie and I had a special bond; I think the world felt they had a special bond with him. I know people always say, 'Oh, they will be missed,' but in this case, that could not be more true. He will be missed by everyone who knew him personally and by everyone who was entertained by him. Rest in peace, lil' brother."

Fans and friends reacted to the music icon's post, including singer Margo Price who wrote, "So well said. He will be so missed." One fan observed, "He would be tickled pink by this." One more fan commented, "I instantly thought of you when I heard the news. He LOOOOOOOVED him some Dolly."

In 2021, Jordan recalled how he met Dolly while he was in a Nashville recording studio with Tanya Tucker, and well, he dropped Tucker like a rock. He noted in an interview, "Well, I just left Tanya sitting. I did. 'Bye Tanya, I'm off to see Dolly.'"

He said in the same interview about meeting his musical hero, "We sat down and glommed onto one another and didn't shut up for about an hour. And people say to me, 'Well, what's she like?' Well, you know exactly what she's like. You know exactly. Dolly is Dolly. And I now get up in the morning, and I say to myself, if I have a problem, 'Well, what would Dolly do?'"

Parton recorded a song with Jordan for his 2021 Comin Home gospel album, "Where The Soul Never Dies." 

Jordan said on Watch What Happens Live that the first time he saw Dolly in concert was in 1973 when she performed at her high school auditorium in Sevierville, Tennessee. He drove from Chattanooga to see the show, which is when he says he "fell in love with her." He later told her he was there, and she didn't believe him, but he proved it with details.