Jill Sobule has died. The singer and activist best known for the 1995 folk-pop hit "I Kissed A Girl" passed away in a Woodbury, Minnesota house fire this morning; Sobule had been staying with friends in the Minneapolis suburb. She also sang “Supermodel” from the Clueless soundtrack and performed the acclaimed autobiographical musical Fuck 7th Grade in recent years. Sobule was 66.
“Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture,” her manager John Porter said in a press release. “I was having so much fun working with her. I lost a client & a friend today. I hope her music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others.”
Jill Sobule was born in Denver, Colorado in 1959. She released her Todd Rundgren-produced debut album Things Here Are Different in 1990, but it failed to make a splash. Her follow-up was produced by Joe Jackson, but she was dropped by her label and it never came out. Her self-titled breakthrough LP arrived in 1995, containing both "I Kissed A Girl" and "Supermodel." "I Kissed A Girl" is regarded as the first openly LGBTQ+ song to earn a spot on a Billboard Top 20. She continued to release records throughout the 2000s that grappled with topics like anorexia, mental illness, the death penalty, and reproductive rights.
Sobule just recently toured America opening for the Fixx and was next scheduled to perform at Swallow Hill Music’s Tuft Theater on Friday (May 2) with her show Jill Sobule Presents: Songs From Fuck 7th Grade & More. Instead, there will be an informal gathering hosted by her friend, the 105.5 DJ Rob Bostwick. A formal memorial celebrating her legacy will happen this summer.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, per Fox 9.
