Reliably Austin
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Leslie Cochran ‘In Transition’ in Hospice Care

Leslie Cochran as photographed earlier this year.
Photo courtesy Valerie Romness
Leslie Cochran as photographed earlier this year.

Leslie Cochran – a homeless, cross-dressing exemplar of Austin weirdness immortalized in countless stories and photos, plus advertisements, refrigerator magnets, and runs for public office – has “chosen to shuffle off this mortal coil,” according to friends overseeing Cochran’s stay in hospice care.

As KUT News previously reported, Cochran was in intensive care after being found unconscious in a South Austin parking lot approximately two-and-a-half weeks ago. He was transferred to an unnamed hospice facility this weekend, KUT noted yesterday.

Local activist Debbie Russell has served as a family spokesperson. In an update this morning, she writes:

He has chosen to shuffle off this mortal coil, and is doing so in grace and dignity, Leslie-style...as he's done all else in life … He is comfortable in hospice care (where he is in amazing hands), and is in no pain according to the nurses who monitor him often. He has slipped back into semi-consciousness -for the most part- but we believe he hears his loved ones surrounding him.

Donations for Cochran’s care are still being taken at BookPeople, and in addition to the Love for Leslie Facebook page, a separate blog for sharing reminisces has been set up at loveforleslie.wordpress.com.  

Wells has been a part of KUT News since 2012, when he was hired as the station's first online reporter. He's currently the social media host and producer for Texas Standard, KUT's flagship news program. In between those gigs, he served as online editor for KUT, covering news in Austin, Central Texas and beyond.
Related Content