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☆ Opinion: Beyoncé is the start of a Black country groundswell
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Opinion Alice Randall | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Her book “My Black Country: A Journey Through ” Country Music’s Past, Present and Future,” was published this month. I hear Black moonshiners and Black cowboys, Black nature lovers and Black ghosts, Black angels, Black freedom fighters, gunslingers and Black shotgun riders. It could start a groundswell of long overdue recognition of the overlooked Black country legends and hope for the Black country stars of the future. But for Black performers in particular, it offers a seat, at long last, at a gathering of the country music family. As I write in “My Black Country,” “I have imagined Black country and country to be born as an art form, as an aesthetic, in the year 1624 near Jamestown, Virginia.

Persons: Alice Randall, who’s, ”, I’ve, Alice Randall Keren Trevino, Matraca Berg, Beyoncé’s, Carter, she’s, White, “, Jolene, Cowboy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Sen, Ted Kennedy, Roy Acuff, DeFord Bailey, Ole Opry’s, jumpstart Acuff’s, Anna Gordy, Berry Gordy, Marvin Gaye, Anna, Anna Gordy —, Detroit, Carter ”, Linda Martell, Rumi Carter, Jay Z, Blue Ivy, Sir, Rumi, Mike Blake, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter ”, ” Beyoncé, William Tucker, Stoney Edwards Organizations: CNN, Country Music Association, DAR, Blacks, Motown Records, Anna Records, Grand Ole Opry, Reuters, America, Eagle Locations: Nashville, Washington , DC, George H.W ., Detroit, Los Angeles, Black, European, Jamestown , Virginia, America, It’s

☆ Opinion: How Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ reveals America’s true nature
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Opinion Roxanne Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And Beyoncé’s bold, brilliant new album “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” which dropped Friday, is no exception to those musical roots. Roxanne Jones CNNIt was from Africa that the banjo, the signature instrument of country music, arrived on our nation’s shores. For a brief time in the 1960s and 1970s, Black country music artists received some commercial success and recognition. And, though he’s in the Country Music Hall of Fame today, Bailey was never recognized for his countless contributions to the genre. And by this measure, I’d say Beyoncé’s second act, “Cowboy Carter,” is indeed classic country music.

Persons: Roxanne Jones, Jones, ”, Cowboy Carter, Roxanne Jones CNN, There’d, Beyonce, Alice Randall, “, ” Randall, Linda Martell, Martell, Ray Charles ’, Charley Pride, DeFord Bailey, mistreating Bailey, ” Bailey, Bailey, Uncle Wilbur, Patsy Cline, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Bey Organizations: ESPN The Magazine, ESPN, New York Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, CNN, NPR, Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame Locations: Africa, America, Texas, Beyoncé, Nashville , Tennessee

☆ THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Zoey 101' 16 years later
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Olivia Singh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Spears reprised her role as Zoey for a movie sequel, "Zoey 102," released on Paramount+ in July 2023. Dana Hawley/Paramount+Many fans speculated that "Zoey 101" ended due to Spears' pregnancy at 16 years old. After her time on Nickelodeon, Spears switched her focus to singing, much like her older sister Britney Spears. In July 2020, the "Zoey 101" cast reunited for a sketch as part of the Nickelodeon show "All That." The "Zoey 101" film sequel, titled "Zoey 102," was released in summer 2023, and followed Zoey and her friends as they reunited for Quinn and Logan's wedding.

Persons: Spears, Zoey, Jamie Lynn Spears, Zoey Brooks, Dana Hawley, didn't, Casey Aldridge, Maddie Briann, Aldridge, Jamie Watson, Ivey Joan, Britney Spears, Britney, Quinn, Erin Sanders, Quinn Pensky, Sean Flynn, Chase Matthews, Matthew Underwood, Logan Reese, Christopher Massey, Michael Barrett, Abby Wilde, Stacey Dillsen, Jack Salvatore, Mark Del Figgalo, She's, Woods Organizations: Paramount, Nickelodeon, Grand Ole Opry, Radio Disney, Netflix Locations: Louisiana

☆ Beyoncé’s ‘The Linda Martell Show’ single is named for a trailblazer you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Rhythm and blues and country music are the most parallel types of music,” Singleton has been quoted as saying. “Country music tells a story,” Martell told Rolling Stone. And while Martell recalls receiving two standing ovations that night, the road to country music success was far from smooth. A place in historyMartell’s story may have languished in history were it not for both her country music family and her biological one. “Minority, women and marginalized artists deserve to play on a level playing field in the country music industry,” Thompson told The Tennessean last year.

Persons: CNN — Beyoncé’s, Cowboy Carter ”, Linda Martell, ”, Beyoncé, “, Martell, Thelma Bynem, “ You’d, William “ Duke ” Rayner, Shelby Singleton Jr, ” Singleton, Singleton, ” Martell, Rolling, Jeannie C, Riley, BlackHistoryMonth Martell, Mickey Guyton, Rolling Stone, ” Guyton, “ I’ve, I’ve, …, Marquia Thompson, ” Thompson, ” Beyoncé Organizations: CNN, Rolling Stone, Grand Ole Opry, SSS, Records, Country Blues, Tennessean Locations: Texas, South Carolina, Harper, Singleton

☆ Beyoncé drops ‘Cowboy Carter’ and hold on to your horses, because it’s an introspective, rollicking good time
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Houston native Beyoncé dropped her eagerly awaited album “Act II: Cowboy Carter” Thursday night, and it will definitely take some time to digest. We now know they include Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Bey’s six-year-old daughter Rumi Carter. And while she previously declared “This ain’t a Country album. “The Linda Martell Show” is an interlude where Martell introduces the song “Ya Ya,” which she says “stretches across a range of genres and that’s what makes it a unique listening experience. I think she’s recorded ‘Jolene’ and I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about,” Parton said at the time.

Persons: Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter, Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Rumi Carter, Rumi, ” Nelson, ”, Bey, Willie Jones, Billy Ray Cyrus –, Parton, “ Levii’s, Queen Bey, Linda Martell, Martell, –, ’ ”, Nancy Sinatra, Shaboozey, Dolly, ” Parton, Becky, “ Jolene, Jolene ’, Tanner Adell, Reyna Roberts, Tiera Kennedy, Brittney Spencer Organizations: CNN, Post, “ KNTRY, Grand Ole Opry, Knoxville News Locations: Texas

☆ The symbolism in Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album has fans talking
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Beyoncé knows how to get people talking, and her new album “Cowboy Carter,” had tongues wagging long before its release date on March 29. “Cowboy Carter” is the much-anticipated followup to her 2022 album “Renaissance” and her 2016 album “Lemonade,” both of which injected the culture with paradigm-shifting art and symbolism. This is Black American culture.”“Beyoncé’s album cover makes complete sense to Black Texans” guest columnist Taylor Crumpton wrote for Bloomberg. Of course, a new Beyoncé album is bound to ignite all sorts of conversations. The discourse is part of the experience as much as any cowboy hat, and “Cowboy Carter” is already taking fans to school.

Persons: CNN — Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter, ”, Cowboy Carter ”, Carter ”, Beyoncé’s, Carter, Azaelia Banks, Banks, “, Vanessa Vaillareal, Tory Shulman, Beyoncé, Napoleon, George Washington, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Angelou, ” Baldwin, Taylor Crumpton, Randy, ” Beyoncé, ” Kacey, John Shearer, Jim Crow, Linda Martell, Martell Organizations: CNN, Sony, AP, YouTube, Daily, Black Texans, Texans, Bloomberg, ”, Los Angeles Magazine, Grand Ole Opry Locations: Parkwood, Columbia, American, Texas, Houston, Los Angeles , California

Buckle up, cowpoke: On Wednesday, Beyoncé shared the track list for her forthcoming album, “Act ll: Cowboy Carter." There's also mention of “Dolly P” — likely a reference to Dolly Parton — and a track titled “Jolene," a reference to one of Parton's best-known songs. Earlier this month, in an interview with Knox News celebrating the seasonal opening of her amusement park Dollywood, Parton said she thinks Beyoncé has recorded a cover of her 1973 hit. “Well, I think she has,” she said. “I think she’s recorded ‘Jolene’ and I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about that.”Photos You Should See View All 60 ImagesThe track list also mentions “Smoke Hour Willie Nelson,” but it is not immediately clear if Nelson is involved with the project.

Persons: Buckle, Beyoncé, Carter, Carter ”, ”, “, Linda Martell, There's, Dolly, Dolly Parton, Jolene, Parton, Jolene ’, Willie Nelson, Nelson Organizations: Ole Opry, Knox News Locations: Louisiana, ”

☆ I brought my 73-year-old mother-in-law to Nashville. I was worried about the city's party reputation, but we found many ways to have fun.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Ash Jurberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Our first stop was the Country Music Hall of Fame and MuseumThe Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has some cool pieces on display. There was much to learn about the early pioneers of country music and more recent contemporaries. I could tell why the historic live-music venue is known as the Mother Church of Country Music. AdvertisementThe Johnny Cash Museum is also not to be missedThe Johnny Cash Museum is a must for music fans. There were also plenty of sweet treats to tasteAsh JurbergJust across from the Johnny Cash museum is Goo Goo Chocolate Co, home of the Goo Goo Cluster — the first combination candy bar made in the US.

Persons: —, it's, Jurberg, Elvis Presley's, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Cash, Ash Jurberg, Belle Meade, Ash, Grand Ole Opry Ash, Don Schlitz, He's, Kenny Rogers Organizations: Service, Business, Country Music Hall of Fame, Music Hall of Fame, RCA Studios, of Country, Johnny, Food, Greece Nashville, Grand Ole Opry, Ole Opry, Schlitz Locations: Australia, Nashville, Ryman, United States, Belle, Tennessee, Prince's, Texas, Martin's, Greece, Athens

☆ Country singer Toby Keith dies at age 62
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Patrick Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Toby Keith performs on stage during the 2023 People's Choice Country Awards held at the Grand Ole Opry House on September 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. Country music icon Toby Keith has died, his official website and social media accounts said early Tuesday, 18 months after he revealed he had stomach cancer. It's always zero to 60 and 60 to zero but I feel good today," Keith told E! News ahead of receiving the Country Icon Award at the People's Choice Country Awards. Keith continued to record and perform through his illness, appearing live over three nights in Las Vegas in December.

Persons: Toby Keith, Keith, Willie Nelson Organizations: Grand Ole Opry House, Oklahoman, Oklahoma City Locations: Nashville , Tennessee, Las Vegas, Vegas, Clinton , Oklahoma, Moore, Oklahoma, United States, Dodge City , Kansas, Canada

☆ How unregulated radio stations out of Mexico fueled the country music boom in America
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Yoonji Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Known as "border radio," the unregulated American radio industry sprung up on Mexico's northern border in the 1930s. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesIn the years that followed, other border radio stations sprung up in Mexico. Hank Thompson, another country music star who grew up in Waco in the 30s, said border radio stations were the only stations where one could listen to country music most of the time. But the legacy of border radio stations continued to live on in the country music they helped popularize, as well as its cousin genres. According to American honky-tonk star Webb Pierce, country music "might not have survived if it hadn't been for border radio."

Persons: —, Bill Crawford, Crawford, weren't, Will Horwitz, Horwitz's, Jimmie Rodgers, Carter, Michael Ochs, Jesus Christ, Dallas Turner, John Romulus Brinkley, Brinkley, Pope Brock, Minerva, Minnie, Jones, Patsy Montana, Slim Rinehart, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Hank Thompson, Lydia Mendoza, Rosa Dominguez, Mexican Nightingale, Dominguez, Maybelle, Webb Pierce, It's Organizations: Service, Business, Amazing Broadcasters, American Airwaves, Keystone, Gamma, Getty Images, US, charlatans, Houston, Country, Michael Ochs Archives, Kansas he'd, The Kansas State Medical Board, Federal Radio Commission, Soibelman, Tejano, Getty, Thunderbirds, ZZ Locations: American, West, Mexico, Canada, United States, Mexican, France, Tamaulipas, KFKB, Kansas, New York, Waco, South Dakota

☆ Scottish Country Music Venue Ends Display of Confederate Flag
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Claire Moses | More About Claire Moses | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A country and western music venue in Scotland, nearly 4,000 miles and 150 years removed from the Civil War, voted this week to end its controversial display of the Confederate flag. Until recently, a night of live music at the Grand Ole Opry in Glasgow, a members’ club that holds public events, would end with what it described as a salute to the war’s dead and a ceremonial folding of the Confederate battle flag, which to many in the United States and abroad is a symbol of white supremacy. After years of rising tension, the club’s leadership announced last month that it would ban the flag’s display, a move that exploded into a rift among the organization’s 200 or so members, most of whom are white and Scottish. During an emergency meeting on Monday, they voted, narrowly and by secret ballot, to uphold the decision banning the flag, 50-48.

Organizations: Confederate, Grand Ole Opry Locations: Scotland, Glasgow, United States

☆ Brenda Lee, a Queen of Christmas and So Much More
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Lindsay Zoladz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Lee inducted Tucker into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October, and people are still talking about the dry delivery and killer comic timing of her speech. Lee has, Tucker added, “the best sense of humor known to man (or woman).”For the past four years, “Rockin’” has peaked at No. Because while Brenda Lee is a Christmas queen, she’s also so much more. Brenda Lee has stories. While still in her teens, Lee shared bills with Little Richard, Chubby Checker, Dusty Springfield — the list is seemingly endless.

Persons: Tanya Tucker, Lee, Tucker, “, ”, Mariah, ” Lee, Carey, Brenda Lee, she’s, Elvis Presley, Elvis, “ I’m, I’ve, ” Patsy Cline, Little Richard, Chubby Checker, Dusty Springfield, John Lennon, Lee “ Organizations: Country Music Hall of Fame, Ole Opry, Beatles Locations: Hamburg

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In July, country music star Craig Morgan reenlisted in the Army Reserves on the historic Grand Ole Opry stage. It also inspired the title for the new EP he had been working on: “Enlisted,” out Friday. The six-song collection includes two new tracks and a few reimaginations of his hits, alongside A-list and up-and-coming collaborators like Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, and Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll was almost moved to tears when he described how the song gave him hope. Country Music Awards favorite Wilson joins Morgan on “International Harvester.”"Lainey Wilson had listened to it growing up with her dad, riding around in the truck on the farm," he says.

Persons: Craig Morgan reenlisted, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Roll, Morgan — it's, Jerry, ”, Morgan, he's, it's, “ I'm, — Morgan, Jelly, “, ” “, Jelly Roll, Wilson, Jimmy Buffet, Shelton, ” Morgan, ‘ I’m, ” Shelton, Combs, Adkins, reworks Organizations: ANGELES, —, Army Reserves, Ole Opry, Opry, “, Army, Army Reserve, 101st, Airborne Divisions, ”

☆ Business travel spending is recovering quicker than expected. These are the stocks to buy right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

There have been some encouraging signs that business travel is rebounding to pre-Covid spending levels sooner than anticipated, according to the Global Business Travel Association . Business travel was essentially shut down during the Covid pandemic, with many predicting a slow slog to revive sales and a landscape that would be permanently changed. Now the organization is predicting global business travel spending will surpass its 2019 spending level of $1.4 trillion in 2024, compared with its earlier forecast of 2026. Some 28% of those who make the business travel decisions and 32% of those in charge of company travel budgets said their workplace will increase business travel in the coming year, Morning Consult found. Of course, the recovery in business travel can also shift if there are changes in the economic environment.

Persons: Lindsey Roeschke, Roeschke, That's, Michael Linenberg, Linenberg, Patrick Scholes, Scholes, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Global Business Travel Association . Business, Morning, Deutsche Bank, CNBC, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Ryman Hospitality Properties, Ole Opry, Hospitality, Hyatt Hotels Locations: Delta

☆ Analysis: Country music is at a crossroads. Two of its most viral songs show why
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The struggle for the soul of country music is on full display now as two very different songs have been making headlines. Michael Loccisano/Getty ImagesThese two songs, so differently received yet recorded under the same big country umbrella, are an embodiment of the crossroads where country music currently stands. Like all musical traditions that fuse, evolve and splinter, country music and its legions of fans are engaged in a negotiation for the genre’s main identity. When the Dixie Chicks spoke out against the Iraq War in the early 2000s, their popularity in country music circles never fully recovered.. Small towns, fast cars and American values are as essential to country music as four chords and the truth.

Persons: Jason Aldean, Luke Combs, Tracy Chapman, Chapman, Combs, ”, Tracy, ” Chapman, “, Luke, Bryan Bedder, they’ve, Aldean, Little Richard, Otis Redding, ” Aldean, —, Holly G, Morgan Wallen, Michael Loccisano, foremothers, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, ” Combs, it’s Organizations: CNN, CMT, Billboard, Singer, Amarillo, Black Opry, Washington Post, Texas Democrat, country’s, Dixie, Grand Ole Opry Locations: Copenhagen, underrepresentation, Aldean, Macon , Georgia, Iraq

☆ Dolly Parton says she 'never' wants to retire: 'I'll just hopefully drop dead on stage'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"I'll just hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song on stage someday, hopefully one I've written." But, Parton said, a few things could convince her to stop working after 60-plus years in the music industry. "As long as I'm able to work, as long as my health is good, and my husband is good," she said. "I have new dreams every day … I've got lots of dreams," Parton said of her future aspirations, noting that she wants to have her own network television show, as well as her own makeup and wig lines. Part of what motivates Parton to keep working, she added, is wanting to see all of her professional goals through to the end.

Persons: Dolly Parton, she'd, Parton, I'm, she's, Tony, Dolly, I've, you've Organizations: Grand Ole Opry, Foundation, Imagination, Moderna

☆ Bobby Osborne, Mandolinist Who Flouted Bluegrass Convention, Dies at 91
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Bill Friskics-Warren | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bobby Osborne, the singer and mandolin player who with his younger brother, Sonny, led one of the most groundbreaking bands in the history of bluegrass, died on Tuesday at a hospital in Gallatin, Tenn., a suburb of Nashville. His death was confirmed by Dan Rogers, the vice president and executive producer of the Grand Ole Opry. Formed in 1953, the Osborne Brothers band habitually flouted bluegrass convention during its first two decades. They were the first bluegrass group of national renown to incorporate drums, electric bass, pedal steel guitar and even, on records, string sections. They were also the first to record with twin banjos, as well as the first to amplify their instruments with electric pickups.

Persons: Bobby Osborne, Sonny, Dan Rogers, Osborne, Ernest Tubb, Randy Newman, Everly Organizations: Grand Ole Opry Locations: Gallatin, Tenn, Nashville

☆ 36 Hours in Nashville
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Colleen Creamer | Colleen Creamer Is A Regular Contributor To The Travel Section Who Lives In Nashville. | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

3 p.m. Take the stage at the “mother church of country music”You may already know the Ryman Auditorium , the former home of the weekly Grand Ole Opry showcase. For $35, the Ryman’s self-guided tour lets you explore this history and more by ambling through exhibits on two levels. (Displays include Johnny Cash’s surprising pre-“Man in Black” white suit.) The tour starts with an immersive video and ends with a photo opportunity to mug with a microphone onstage, which makes for very interesting people-watching. More short films of the Ryman’s history are narrated by country stars like Emmylou Harris, Marty Stuart and Ricky Skaggs.

Harris, the former American Idol contestant whose soulful voice wowed the judges and whose sweet demeanor won him legions of fans, has died of an apparent heart attack. Harris was an incredible talent, and the news of his passing deeply saddens us," a statement posted on American Idol's official Instagram page read. Harris told The Hollywood Reporter in a 2014 interview that his mother was his first musical influence. It wasn't until 2014 that Harris made his musical mark when he placed sixth in American Idol's 13th season. "You sing because you have to sing, not because you want to sing," Urban told Harris.

☆ Trailblazing pop and country singer Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters has died at 74
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Anita Pointer, who penned many of the Pointer Sisters' hits, died at the age of 74. Pointer and her sisters broke ground for Black women in country and pop with their hits in the '70s and '80s. Pointer was a founding member of the Pointer Sisters, a vocal group from Oakland that achieved critical and commercial success in the '70s and '80s, blending genres such as blues, pop, and R&B. On the original recording, Pointer was also the lead vocalist, as she was for many of the group's hits. In addition to being the first female African-American act to appear at the Grand Ole Opry, the Pointer Sisters were also the first contemporary artists to perform at the San Francisco Opera House.

☆ Leslie Jordan death in car accident is tragic loss for my autistic son and other fans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Karin Crompton | Karin Crompton Is A Writer In Southeastern Connecticut | Where She Lives With Her Son | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

For much of 2021, my 11-year-old son and I had a bedtime ritual: brush teeth, watch Leslie Jordan videos, read. Our nightly Leslie Jordan check-ins had become more than just punchlines and stories. A gay actor and comedian, Jordan would toe the line with sexual innuendo one day (have you seen his Back Door Donuts post? With all due respect to social skills therapists, a Jordan video proved much more fun than our usual lessons about tone of voice and body language. “But is he married or is he gay?” Daniel asked, and around and around we went one night.

☆ Leslie Jordan, 'Will & Grace' actor, dies at 67
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Diana Dasrath | Corky Siemaszko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In this image released on April 18, Leslie Jordan speaks onstage at the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards at the Grand Ole Opry on April 18, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. LOS ANGELES — Leslie Jordan, who won an Emmy playing the conniving Beverly Leslie on "Will & Grace" and became a social media sensation during the pandemic, died Monday after crashing his car into a wall while driving in Hollywood, his spokesman said. "The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan," the spokesperson said. Jordan, who was 67, was pronounced dead at the scene around 9:30 a.m. (PT) after officers responded to reports of a collision at Cahuenga Blvd. But he was best known to television audiences as Beverly Leslie, the Karen character's rival who comes out as Gay on the show in one of the most memorable episodes.

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