'I Kissed a Girl,' 'Supermodel' singer Jill Sobule dead at 66

Jill Sobule has died in a Minnesota house fire at the age of 66. File Photo by Greg Grudt/UPI
Jill Sobule has died in a Minnesota house fire at the age of 66. File Photo by Greg Grudt/UPI | License Photo

May 2 (UPI) -- "I Kissed a Girl," "Living Color" and "Supermodel" singer-songwriter Jill Sobule has died at the age of 66.

Her agent, Craig Grossman, told TMZ that Sobule died Thursday in a house fire while visiting a friend in a suburb of St. Paul, Minn.

"Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture," the musician's manager, John Porter, said in a statement to Deadline.com. "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."

Her attorney, Ken Hertz, told Variety: "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."

Singer Tracy Chapman wrote on X: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of @jillsobule Let us listen to her music to honor the wonderful singer-songwriter she was. Our hearts go out to her family, friends and fans."

One of Sobule's last X posts was made on April 28 and celebrated Warren Zevon's upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Warren made the Rock Hall of Fame. I sure adored him. And he was a mentor to me #warrenzevon," she wrote.

Sobule -- who released 12 albums over the course of three decades -- was scheduled to perform Friday night in her hometown of Denver, Colo.

She also was the creator of the autobiographical musical, F*** 7th Grade, and penned the theme song for the Nickelodeon series, Unfabulous.

Rolling Stone said "I Kissed a Girl" became the first openly gay song to rank in the Top 20 of Billboard's Modern Rock chart when it was released in 1995.

Sobule's representatives said a memorial is being planned for her this summer.

Notable deaths of 2025

Jill Sobule
Jill Sobule attends the GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 30, 2023. Sobule, the singer-songwriter behind "I Kissed a Girl," "Living Color" and "Supermodel," died at the age of 66 on May 2 from a house fire. Photo by Greg Grudt/UPI | License Photo

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