Jill Sobule, the award-winning singer-songwriter behind one of the first LGBTQ+ songs to hit the mainstream – I Kissed A Girl – has died in a house fire.
Her death in Woodbury, Minnesota, was announced by her publicist. It was not immediately clear how the fire started.
The 66-year-old’s manager, John Porter, called her “a force of nature and human rights advocate,” whose “music is woven into our culture”.
He said in a statement: “I was having so much fun working with her. I lost a client and a friend today. I hope her music, memory, and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.”
The White Lotus star Carrie Coon posted on social media: “Jill Sobule was so special. Heartbreaking news.”
Sharing a photo of herself with Sobule from 2001, singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman wrote on X: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Jill Sobule. Let us listen to her music to honor the wonderful singer-songwriter she was.”
Sobule had been due to play a gig in Denver on Friday night, but the event will now become a tribute to her life. A formal memorial will be held later this summer.
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Over three decades of performing and recording, the singer-songwriter released 12 albums, exploring complex topics including the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, reproduction and LGBTQ+ issues.
Her first album, Things Here Are Different, was released in 1990.
Five years later, she received widespread attention for her hit singles, Supermodel, from the movie Clueless, and I Kissed A Girl, which, despite being banned on several southern radio stations, made it into the Billboard Top 20 in the US.
In 2008, Katy Perry’s worldwide hit I Kissed A Girl – which used the same title but was not a cover version – created a renewed interest in her track.
Sobule also starred in an autobiographical off-Broadway musical featuring songs and stories about her life.
An early adopter of crowdfunding, in 2008, after two major record companies dumped her and two indie labels went bankrupt beneath her, she raised tens of thousands of dollars from fans so she could make a new album.
A shy child, Sobule was born in Denver, Colorado, on 16 January 1959.
She would go on to perform with stars including Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper and Billy Bragg, and said she would “wing” her frequent live shows, never preparing a set list.
She made a cameo on an episode of The Simpsons in 2019.
In a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, she said: “In a good way, I feel like I’m still a rookie. There’s so much more to do and I haven’t done my best yet.”
She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule, along with her nephews and cousins.
