Dolly Parton, Michelle Pfeiffer, others mourn Leslie Jordan: ‘Rest in peace lil’ brother’
Former Louisiana governor’s widow says she has been overwhelmed by condolences
A sign on the street where Jordan, a first lady, lived in New Orleans, July 12, 2012. (Louis Gossett/Reuters)
Leslie Jordan, the former first lady of Louisiana, died Tuesday morning in a hospital in New Orleans after a serious bout with cancer, her husband told reporters, but not a cause as to why.
“She died a very peaceful death,” Bob Pfeiffer said. “I’m just overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and prayers.”
Pfeiffer, a former state senator, said that he knew Jordan would not survive the two-month battle with cancer.
“I know how courageous she is, and she was definitely fighting the fight,” Pfeiffer said.
Jordan and Bob Pfeiffer were married for 51 years, and she had two children with him. The couple are believed to be returning to Louisiana where Bob Pfeiffer continues to work as a lawyer.
Pfeiffer said that she would like to be remembered as a “sweet person who’s got a heart of gold.”
“I don’t know what else to say,” Pfeiffer said. “It’s been too long.”
Bob Pfeiffer told reporters that he had been receiving death threats over Jordan’s illness, with some people making death threats against him and his family.
“I hope I’m not on a list,” Pfeiffer said. “I hope if I am, they’ll take it down.”
Pfeiffer said Jordan was ill as well after she had undergone treatment for cancer, and that she had expressed that she and Bob had no intention of staying in New Orleans.
“I knew it would not be the outcome I wanted, but the outcome I was destined for was not in my hands.”
“She did not want to leave,” Pfeiffer said. “We’re leaving a family in Louisiana. I think she wanted to be around her family.”