Jill Sobule, the fearless singer-songwriter whose LGBTQ+ anthem “I Kissed a Girl” paved the way for queer visibility in mainstream music, has died in a devastating house fire.
Her publicist confirmed the tragedy in Woodbury, Minnesota. The cause is still unknown.
She was 66, John Porter, her longtime manager, captured what many are feeling: “a force of nature and human rights advocate” whose “music is woven into our culture.”
“I was having so much fun working with her,” he said. “I lost a client and a friend today. I hope her music, memory, and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.”
Tributes have poured in:
• Carrie Coon of The White Lotus called her “so special.”
• Tracy Chapman posted a vintage 2001 photo of them together, writing: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Jill Sobule. Let’s honor the incredible singer-songwriter she was by listening to her music.”
She was set to perform in Denver this Friday, the 2nd of May, 2025. The show will now be a celebration of her life. A formal memorial is scheduled for later in the summer.
For more than thirty years, Sobule pushed boundaries. Across 12 albums, she tackled everything from the death penalty to anorexia to reproductive rights never backing down from hard conversations.
Her debut, ‘Things Here Are Different’, dropped in 1990. Then came 1995, the year that changed everything. Clueless featured her razor-sharp track “Supermodel.” That same year, she released I Kissed a Girl, a bold and unapologetic pop single that faced bans across southern radio stations but still soared into Billboard’s Top 20.
When Katy Perry released a different song with the same title in 2008, it sparked renewed curiosity about Sobule’s original.
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Beyond her studio work, Sobule embraced theatre, creating a raw off-Broadway musical about her own life. That same year, when industry deals crumbled, she turned directly to fans raising tens of thousands through crowdfunding to release her next project.
She was born in Denver, Colorado, on the 16th of January, 1959, Sobule shared stages with legends like Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper, and Billy Bragg. She didn’t use setlists. She just winged it.
In 2019, she appeared on The Simpsons. And in a 2023 interview, she said something that now feels both haunting and hopeful:
“In a good way, I feel like I’m still a rookie. There’s so much more to do and I haven’t done my best yet.”
She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule, along with their children and extended family.
Jill Sobule’s voice, vision, and vulnerability reshaped pop music.
And her song sharp, fearless, human aren’t going anywhere.