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Jill Sobule, the groundbreaking singer-songwriter of the 1995 smash hit single “I Kissed a Girl,” has handed away in a home fireplace in Minneapolis, her consultant confirmed to Selection and different shops on Thursday.
She was 66 years outdated.
Jill Sobule at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on June 8, 2010 in New York Metropolis. (GETTY)
“Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture,” her supervisor, John Porter, mentioned in an announcement.
“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.”
The aforementioned music is broadly thought of to have been the primary overtly lesbian pop music to peak within the Billboard prime 20.
The observe paved the best way for an infinite variety of future LGBTQ+ singer to be candid about their sexuality inside their songwriting and to search out continued mainstream success consequently.
Jill Sobule performs at a live performance in help of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on January 29, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photograph by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Pictures)
Sobule launched 12 albums over the course of a three-decade-plus profession.
Her finest recognized songs included “Supermodel” from the film Clueless and, extra lately, the Drama Desk-nominated autobiographical musical “Fuck 7th Grade,” which loved 4 theatrical runs in three years.
The unique solid recording of the present is about to be launched on June 6, alongside a particular thirtieth anniversary reissue of her self-titled album, which options “I Kissed a Girl” and “Supermodel.”
Sobule was scheduled to carry out in Denver on Could 2.
Her physique was found in a house in Woodbury, Minnesota yesterday and police are investigating the reason for the fireplace, in accordance with the Minnesota Star Tribute.
Jill Sobule performs throughout Live performance For America 2025 – Los Angeles on January 20, 2025 in Studio Metropolis, California. (Photograph by Frazer Harrison/Getty Pictures)
Sobule’s administration and fellow artists mourned the star’s demise by recognizing her dedication to progressive activism and her musical expertise.
Her agent Craig Grossman of Black Oak Artists, mentioned in an announcement to Rolling Stone:
“I was fortunate enough to get to know Jill beyond a professional relationship. No one made me laugh more. Her spirit and energy shall be greatly missed within the music community and beyond.”
Added Sarah Thyre on Instagram about her expertise collaborating with Sobule:
“This one hits hard. Jill Sobule was an amazing, generous artist who lent her time and talent to abortion rights and other progressive causes.”
Jill Sobule attends the GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton on March 30, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photograph by Frazer Harrison/Getty Pictures for GLAAD)
Ken Hertz, the artist’s longtime legal professional, mentioned:
“Jill wasn’t just a client. She was family to us. She showed up for every birth, every birthday, and every holiday. She performed at our daughter’s wedding, and I was her ‘tech’ when she performed by Zoom from our living room (while living with us) during the pandemic.”
Sobule got here out as bisexual in a 2002 interview with The New York Instances.
“All anyone wanted to know was, ‘What was I?’” Sobule informed the outlet, including:
It was a bizarre factor, as a result of there was part of me that needed to say I’m bisexual, however I simply didn’t wish to get into that. There was a giant debate about me, and folks had been saying, ‘Oh, she’s such a closet case — she received’t come out and say she’s a lesbian.’ And different individuals had been saying, ‘Oh, she’s a heterosexual girl making an attempt to catch a lesbian development.’ You couldn’t win.“
A proper memorial celebrating Sobule’s life and legacy will happen throughout the summer season, her rep confirmed.
She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule, and her nephews, Ian Matthew and Robert and Robert’s spouse Irina.
Could Jill Sobule relaxation in peace.
