[5][6] He was the third of six children (three boys and three girls) born to Albert and Enid (née Atwater) Cochran, both now deceased, and had an identical twin brother who died at birth.

He lived in the Pacific Northwest and at one time worked as a truck driver frequently traveling up and down the West Coast.

[9] He spent nine months in the Naval Reserve in 1974–75, worked for Safeway grocery stores in Seattle, skinned road-kill in Colorado and tanned the hides, worked as a disc jockey near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, lived in a converted bookmobile in Shreveport, Louisiana, Tampa, Florida, and Atlanta, and then took a year to ride a tricycle to Austin in January 1996.

[5] Cochran was typically seen around 6th Street and Congress during business hours, frequently wearing women's clothing.

Cochran talked about problems ahead for a city that was creative and fun, but growing so fast that it could become big and bland.

"[4][14] If elected, Cochran promised to plant more trees and wear more conservative dresses to "respect the office.

"[15] Cochran was featured prominently in the 2010 book Weird City: Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas.

[3] Cochran was featured in a set of collectible Leslie dress-up refrigerator magnets, with outfits like a leopard-print dress, cheerleader uniform and a miniskirt.

[17][7] In 2009, Costa Systems created the "iLeslie" iPhone application, sold by the Apple iTunes App Store.

[18] Around 1:00 a.m. on the Saturday morning of October 3, 2009, Cochran was found unconscious outdoors and was transported to University Medical Center Brackenridge in critical condition.

When he was released, on October 23, 2009, Cochran reported that he had been attacked after commenting to a group of people about the dangers of drug abuse.

[24][28][29] Several editorials have since eulogized Cochran's death, painting a legacy that reflects upon his homeless advocacy as well as Austin's known tendencies toward eccentricity and tolerance.