Jill Sobule dies at 66: Singer was known for 1995 hit ‘I Kissed a Girl’
The music world is singing a bittersweet tune as it says goodbye to Jill Sobule, the spirited singer-songwriter who gave us the bold and catchy 1995 anthem I Kissed a Girl.
Sobule tragically passed away at age 66 in a house fire in Minneapolis on May 1, as confirmed by her representative to Variety.
Her longtime manager and friend John Porter paid a heartfelt tribute, saying, “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 and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.”
While she was originally set to perform at Swallow Hill Music’s Tuft Theatre on May 2 in her hometown of Denver, the stage will now serve a different purpose — an informal gathering to celebrate her life.
A formal memorial is being planned for the summer, giving fans and friends a chance to properly honour her legacy.
Born in 1959, Sobule made her musical debut in 1990 with the album Things Here Are Different, but it was her self-titled 1995 release that really struck a chord.
I Kissed a Girl, a trailblazer of a pop song that openly embraced queer themes, was way ahead of its time and found its place on the Billboard charts — a landmark moment in LGBTQ+ music history.
That same year, her song Supermodel found its way onto the Clueless soundtrack, which let’s be honest, is basically the ’90s equivalent of winning the pop culture lottery.
Jill wasn’t just a one-hit wonder or a one-note artist.
Her music popped up on TV hits like The West Wing and Dawson’s Creek, and if you ever found yourself humming the theme song to Unfabulous on Nickelodeon.
Known for her clever, socially conscious lyrics and a performance style that never shied away from a little weird (in the best way), Sobule was still reflecting on the power of connection and communication just days before her passing.
In an April 22 interview with Cincinnati Magazine, she shared, “I’m certainly not used to tiptoeing around. So it’s interesting and even wonderful to figure out what you can get away with and how you can still relate to people who disagree with you.”
