Jill Sobule, the singer-songwriter whose 1990s hits "I Kissed a Girl" and "Supermodel" became cultural landmarks, died Thursday morning at the age of 66 following a house fire in Woodbury, Minnesota. Her death was confirmed by her publicist in a statement posted to social media, which noted the cause as "a house fire early this morning."
According to Woodbury Public Safety, firefighters arrived to find the residence "fully engulfed in flames." The homeowners informed responders that one person was still inside. "Tragically, the missing female, in her 60s, was located deceased inside the home," the department said, adding that the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Sobule, a Denver native, rose to prominence in the mid-1990s with her Billboard Top 20 single "I Kissed a Girl," widely recognized as the first openly queer-themed song to achieve mainstream radio success. Her track "Supermodel," featured in the hit film Clueless, helped bring her quirky, satirical voice to a wider audience.
John Porter, Sobule's longtime manager, said in a statement: Jill was "a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture. I hope her music, memory, and legacy continue to live on and inspire others."
Sobule's 30-year career included twelve albums exploring a range of complex topics including the death penalty, disordered eating, the Christian right, and LGBTQ+ issues. Her first record, Things Here Are Different, was produced by Todd Rundgren in 1990. She broke through with her self-titled second album in 1995, which included both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Supermodel."
In her final interview with Billboard in 2018 promoting her last album Nostalgia Kills, Sobule described rediscovering her love for music. "I started loving music again-loving listening, loving writing and the original spirit of why I did this in the first place, I suppose," she said. "I love telling the stories of the songs."
Her most recent live performance took place on April 25 at the Arcada Theatre in Illinois, where she opened for The Fixx. She had been scheduled to perform May 2 at Swallow Hill Music in Denver. That event will now be replaced by an informal gathering of fans and friends hosted by radio personality Rob Bostwick of 105.5 The Colorado Sound.
A formal memorial service is expected to be held later this summer, according to her publicity team. Sobule is survived by her brother James, sister-in-law Mary Ellen, nephews, cousins, and a wide network of longtime friends and supporters.
