Robert Gant Instagram – When I was watching the Emmys, I saw the sweet face of @thelesliejordan appear in the In Memoriam section of the show, and it made me want to express appreciation for the truly lovely man he was. I first met Leslie on the set of Caroline in the City over on the CBS Radford lot in 1998. I was playing Caroline’s boyfriend Trevor in the show’s third season, and he had joined for two episodes in a very funny (no surprise) turn as a marriage counselor who turns out not to be one at all! Which explained his highly unconventional style of counseling as demonstrated in the shots above. I’m sure it was a total coincidence that mine were the first hands he tied up before ultimately doing that to all of us. In the years that followed, I would run into Leslie occasionally (usually in one of the innumerable Starbucks around the city while dashing cross town between auditions) and have a lively chat about things. We had exchanged numbers and, every time we saw each other, said we needed to get together and do a proper catch up, which sadly never happened. That said, because we were both sober fellows, we did continue to see each other, connect, and chat often at the Starbucks near our West Hollywood weekend AA meetings, right up until the time he passed. He was always a genuine breath of fresh air. When Leslie was no longer with us, one of the things that struck me, besides the loss at his passing, was the realization that he had become sort of this irregular constant (I know those concepts seem to be in opposition, but somehow they feel appropriate) in my LA experience over the decades. I think I took it for granted that he would continue to be. That’s one of the things about the people we know and see and exchange kindnesses with. There can be this illogical idea that they’ll always be there, no matter how often we’re cautioned to the contrary. It takes having them go away to recognize the preciousness of that simple, occasional interaction. With the added years, I’m thankful that the challenge of watching people and things depart is a part of life I’m gradually accepting more. Much love to you, Leslie. If there is a “somewhere,” I know you’ve got them howling. CBS Radford Studios