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“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.
By McKinley Franklin
Jill Sobule, the singer-songwriter behind the first openly gay track to break into the Billboard Top 20, “I Kissed a Girl,” has died. She was 66.
Sobule died Thursday in a house fire, her manager, John Porter, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Denver native broke into the music industry in 1990 with her debut album, Things Here Are Different. Five years later, she released Jill Sobule, which included her 1995 song “I Kissed a Girl,” which is regarded as the first openly LGBTQ+ track to land atop the Billboard Top 20. The album also featured “Supermodel,” which was notably featured in the Clueless soundtrack.
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A human rights activist, Sobule’s music touched on difficult topics, including the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, shoplifting, reproduction and the MAGA movement.
“Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture. I was having so much fun working with her,” Porter shared in a statement. “I lost a client and a friend today. I hope her music, memory and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.”
Sobule was most recently working on her autobiographical musical F*ck 7th Grade. The show was a New York Times Critic’s pick and was Dama Desk-nominated. An original cast recording of F*ck 7th Grade is set to release on June 6, alongside a 30th anniversary Jill Sobule vinyl with both of her hit tracks, “I Kissed a Girl” and “Supermodel.”
“Jill wasn’t just a client. She was family to us,” said Ken Hertz, Sobule’s long-time attorney. “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.”
Sobule was scheduled to perform at Swallow Hill Music’s Tuft Theater Friday night with her “Jill Sobule presents: Songs From F*ck 7th Grade & More” show. Now, an informal memorial will be held to honor her legacy later this summer.
Survivors include her brother and sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule; her nephews, Ian, Matthew and Robert; and Robert’s wife, Irina.
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