Singer Jill Sobule, famous for ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ passes away in house fire
Jill Sobule, the renowned singer famous for her hit song “I Kissed a Girl” in 1995, tragically passed away in a house fire in Minnesota at the age of 66. The fire took place in Woodbury, located around 16 miles east of Minneapolis, where firefighters discovered the deceased woman after responding to the fire reported around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Manager John Porter expressed his sorrow over Sobule’s passing, describing her as a force of nature and a strong advocate for human rights. Sobule’s breakthrough song “I Kissed a Girl” made history by reaching No. 20 on Billboard’s modern rock chart as the first openly queer-themed record to achieve such a high position.
Aside from her popular track “I Kissed a Girl,” Sobule’s song “Supermodel” from the soundtrack of “Clueless” also enjoyed significant success in the pop music scene. More recently, she ventured into theater by creating a coming-of-age musical called “F— 7th Grade,” which premiered off-Broadway in 2022. The production garnered critical acclaim, receiving a Drama Desk nomination for “outstanding musical” and was selected as a New York Times Critic Pick.
Tragically, Sobule’s untimely passing came just before she was set to perform in Denver at Swallow Hill. Instead of her scheduled performance, an informal gathering will be held in her memory at the venue.
In 2008, another artist, Katy Perry, released a song also titled “I Kissed a Girl,” which led to a mix-up as it was not a cover of Sobule’s original hit. Misunderstandings arose when Sobule made tongue-in-cheek comments regarding the situation, causing some of Perry’s fans to target her. Despite this, Sobule harbored no ill feelings towards Perry, clarifying her jovial remarks in a post on The Huffington Post.
Survived by her brother and sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule, as well as her nephews Ian Matthew and Robert along with Robert’s wife Irina, Jill Sobule leaves behind a legacy of groundbreaking music and heartfelt storytelling. Her impact on the music industry and the LGBTQ+ community will be remembered and cherished for years to come.