‘I Kissed a Girl’ singer Jill Sobule killed in house fire
Jill Sobule, the folk-pop singer-songwriter behind the hits ‘I Kissed a Girl’ and ‘Supermodel’, died at the age of 66.
According to her representative, Sobule passed away in a house fire in her home early on May 1st. She lived in Minneapolis.
“Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture. I was having so much fun working with her. I lost a client and a friend today. I hope her music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others,” her manager, John Porter, said in a statement.
Police in the suburb of Woodbury are investigating the cause of the fire at the house where Sobule perished, the Star Tribune reported.
In 1995, Sobule released the first openly queer-themed song to hit the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Supermodel’ which was also notably included in the Clueless soundtrack.
Born on January 16th, 1959 in Denver, Colorado, Sobule’s began her recording career in 1990 with debut Things Here Are Different. Five years later, her eponymous sophomore album followed featuring both ‘I Kissed a Girl’ and ‘Supermodel’.
Sobule changed things up for her third album. On 1997’s Happy Town, Sobule explored more adventurous pop production, tackling important issues such as anorexia, depression, LGBTQ+ equality, and the Christian Right. Despite this shift being praised by critics, poor commercial sales ultimately led to her being dropped by Atlantic Records.
Most recently, Sobule developed an autobiographical musical, F*ck 7th Grade, which earned a Drama Desk Award nomination.
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