R.I.P.: Jill Sobule, Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 66 in House Fire

Jill Sobule (1959-2025)

Jill Sobule, the acclaimed folk-pop singer-songwriter and human rights activist, tragically died in a house fire in Woodbury, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, on Thursday. She was 66 years old. 

Her death was confirmed by her publicist, David Elkin, and her manager, John Porter, in statements to multiple outlets. The cause of the fire is under investigation by local authorities, with Woodbury Public Safety reporting that firefighters responded to a call around 5:30 a.m. to find the house fully engulfed in flames. Sobule was staying with friends at the time, and the fire claimed not only her life but also the home and the friends’ pets.

Born on January 16, 1959, in Denver, Colorado, Sobule emerged as a distinctive voice in the music industry with her debut album, Things Here Are Different (1990), produced by rock legend Todd Rundgren. Her breakthrough came with her 1995 self-titled album, which featured the groundbreaking single “I Kissed a Girl.” The song, a playful yet poignant folk-pop anthem about a lesbian flirtation, became the first openly queer song to reach the Billboard Top 20 on the Alternative Airplay chart (then Modern Rock Tracks) and peaked at No. 67 on the Hot 100. It was a cultural milestone, paving the way for greater LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream music. 

Sobule, who identified as bisexual, spoke openly about her sexuality, noting in a 2021 interview that she wanted the song to be the kind of affirming anthem she wished she’d heard as a young person.

Another standout from the 1995 album, “Supermodel,” featured on the Clueless soundtrack, showcased Sobule’s satirical wit, skewering societal pressures around beauty standards. Though written by a team of songwriters, Sobule added her unique touch, including a bridge with “Dadaist gravitas.” Her music often blended humor, vulnerability, and social commentary, tackling topics like anorexia, the death penalty, reproductive rights, intolerance, and, in later years, the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. Over three decades, she released 12 albums, including Happy Town (1997), Pink Pearl (2000), Underdog Victorious (2004), California Years (2009), and Nostalgia Kills (2018).

Sobule was a pioneer in crowdfunding, raising tens of thousands from fans to finance her 2009 album California Years after parting ways with major labels. She performed alongside icons like Neil Young, Billy Bragg, and Cyndi Lauper, and even appeared as herself on The Simpsons in 2019.