The music world is mourning a sudden loss.
Jill Sobule, the singer-songwriter best known for her 1995 single “I Kissed a Girl,” died May 1 in a house fire in Minneapolis at age 66, her rep confirmed to Variety.
“Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture,” her manager John Porter said in a statement to the outlet. “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.”
The singer, who was scheduled to perform at Swallow Hill Music’s Tuft Theatre May 2 in her native Denver, will instead be remembered with an informal gathering at the venue in her honor. A formal memorial will be held this summer, her rep told Variety.
Born in 1959, Sobule released her debut album Things Here Are Different in 1990. Her self-titled breakthrough sophomore effort came five years later and included the aforementioned “I Kissed a Girl”—considered one of the first openly queer songs to find success on the Billboard charts—as well as “Supermodel,” which was featured in the teen comedy Clueless that same year.
