‘I Kissed a Girl’ singer Jill Sobule dies in Minnesota house fire

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FILE - Jill Sobule Performing at the 15th Annual Bridge Benefit at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View Calif. on October 20th, 2001. (Tim Mosenfelder/ImageDirect)

Singer-songwriter Jill Sobule — best known for the 1995 pop hit "I Kissed a Girl" — was killed early Thursday in a house fire in Woodbury, roughly 20 miles east of Minneapolis, her representative confirmed to multiple outlets, including Variety, Rolling Stone, and TMZ. She was 66.

Sobule’s career spanned more than three decades and twelve albums, including standout tracks like "Supermodel" from the "Clueless" soundtrack and the candid, genre-defying material that became her hallmark. Her death comes just weeks before the planned release of two projects: a 30th anniversary reissue of her self-titled Atlantic album. 

A defining voice in LGBTQ+ pop music

Why you should care:

Released more than a decade before Katy Perry’s song of the same name, Sobule’s "I Kissed a Girl" broke new ground in 1995 as one of the first openly queer-themed songs to crack the Billboard Top 20. The track — breezy, sincere, and satirical — was accompanied by a music video that featured Fabio and challenged the era’s expectations of femininity and desire in pop.

Sobule, who came out publicly in the years following its release, was embraced as a pioneer of LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream music.

More than a one-hit wonder

The backstory:

Though "I Kissed a Girl" remains her most recognized song, Sobule’s career was anything but conventional. Her work often tackled complex themes — from body image and reproductive rights to political satire and mental health — with wit and empathy.

In 1990, she released her debut album "Things Here Are Different," produced by Todd Rundgren. She followed that with her breakthrough self-titled album in 1995, which included both "I Kissed a Girl" and the teen anthem "Supermodel," featured in the hit film "Clueless."

Frustrated by the constraints of pop radio, Sobule later embraced independent releases and theatrical storytelling. Her 2021 musical "F*** 7th Grade," which chronicled her experiences as a queer kid growing up in Denver, was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and completed four theatrical runs in just three years.

Sobule was also an early adopter of crowdfunding. In 2008, she raised $75,000 from more than 500 donors to fund her album "California Years" — years before Kickstarter became a go-to platform for musicians. She offered rewards ranging from signed albums to singing on the record for $10,000.

She used similar strategies to fund later projects, including 2018’s "Nostalgia Kills," released on her own label, Pinko Records.

What they're saying:

In a statement first obtained by Rolling Stone, her manager John Porter said, "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. I lost a client and a friend today. I hope her music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others."

Her longtime attorney Ken Hertz added, "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 during the pandemic."

What's next:

Sobule was scheduled to perform this weekend in Denver at Swallow Hill Music’s Tuft Theater in a show called "Jill Sobule Presents: Songs From F*ck 7th Grade & More." The venue has announced that an informal gathering will now take place in her honor, hosted by longtime friend and radio host Ron Bostwick.

Her rep confirmed that a formal memorial will be held later this summer.