You can delete a lead or pipeline item from a contact directly. This will delete the pipeline item and all of the associated history, however, the contact and their details will remain. If you go to the contact record directly, you should see a gray badge with the current status and the last updated date. You can click within that gray badge to open the lead.

Please note: pipelines are customizable and the terminology you see will vary depending on your account’s customization.

In the dialog that opens you’ll see the details of the pipeline item. On the right side of the dialog is an “Actions” section, and you can select “Delete” there.

After you’ve selected “Delete” you’ll be prompted to confirm the deletion. Again, deleting the pipeline item will remove the status updates and related notes, but the contact itself will remain.