The music world is mourning a one-of-a-kind voice this week.
Jill Sobule — the singer-songwriter who first grabbed the spotlight in the mid-90s with her fearless anthem I Kissed a Girl — has sadly died at the age of 66.
Her passing came in the early hours of Thursday morning after a devastating house fire broke out in Woodbury, a suburb of Minneapolis.
According to reports, firefighters were called to the scene around 5:30 a.m., but the home was already engulfed in flames by the time they arrived.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
A Trailblazer for LGBTQ+ Music in the Mainstream
Jill wasn’t just another singer in the ’90s wave — she made waves.
Her 1995 single I Kissed a Girl (no relation to Katy Perry’s later version) wasn’t just catchy; it was groundbreaking.
It became the most successful openly LGBTQ-themed song of its time on the Billboard charts, reaching No. 20 on the US Modern Rock Tracks.
She also landed another hit that year with Supermodel, a cheeky track featured in the cult-favorite teen film Clueless.
While it didn’t chart in the US, it resonated with a generation of fans — especially young girls who finally saw their angst and humor reflected in a pop song.
That Katy Perry Controversy
Jill tried to take Katy Perry’s 2008 hit I Kissed a Girl in stride at first. But it didn’t take long before tensions flared.
By 2009, Sobule publicly slammed Perry, calling her a “f***ing little slut,” claiming her song reduced what was once a bold LGBTQ statement into mere shock pop.
The feud highlighted Jill’s frustration over how queer narratives in music had become more marketable, but arguably less meaningful.
A Career That Kept Evolving
Though the mainstream spotlight faded over time, Jill never stopped making music.
She was fiercely independent and kept releasing albums — ten studio albums, two live albums, and multiple EPs to her name.
She experimented with crowdfunding long before it became trendy, using it to finance her 2009 album California Years and again for Nostalgia Kills in 2018.
Even in her later years, she stayed busy with ambitious creative projects.
Her autobiographical stage show F** 7th Grade* was a raw, funny, and emotional look back at her adolescence.
The show sold out multiple off-Broadway runs, earned rave reviews, and even snagged a Drama Desk nomination.
A recording of the show’s original cast album is still scheduled to be released on June 6.
That same day will also see the 30th anniversary reissue of her self-titled 1995 album — the one that included I Kissed a Girl.
She Was More Than a Performer — She Was Family
Tributes have poured in since the news of her death broke.
Her longtime manager John Porter called her “a force of nature and human rights advocate,” mourning both a friend and client.
Her attorney and close family friend, Ken Hertz, remembered her as a presence at every major life event — birthdays, weddings, holidays.
“She performed at our daughter’s wedding,” he said, recalling her heartfelt performances during the pandemic from their living room.
Jill was set to perform on Friday at Swallow Hill Music’s Tuft Theater in Denver — the city where she was born.
That concert has now been transformed into a tribute event hosted by her friend Ron Bostwick of 105.5 FM. A more formal memorial is also being planned for this summer.
Leaving Behind a Powerful Legacy
Jill Sobule was more than a singer with a few hits — she was a cultural voice, a rebel, and a source of strength for queer fans long before that was considered marketable.
She never shied away from tough topics in her music, and she maintained creative control even when the industry moved on.
She is survived by her brother James Sobule, his wife Mary Ellen, and their children Ian Matthew and Robert (with his wife Irina).
But she also leaves behind a devoted fan base and a musical legacy that continues to resonate.