LEGEND

Jill Sobule, Hitmaker Behind ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ Dies in House Fire

The singer’s manager confirmed that she had died Thursday morning.

Jill Sobule, the iconic singer behind the 1995 anthem “I Kissed a Girl,” has died. She was 66. Her manager, John Porter, confirmed to TMZ that she died Thursday in a house fire in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture,” Porter said in a statement shared by the outlet. “I was having so much fun working with her. I lost a client & a friend today. I hope her music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others.” Throughout her career, Sobule released 12 albums and even created an off-Broadway musical in 2022, but it was her 1995 single that propelled her to stardom. The track is widely considered to be the first openly queer-themed song to chart on the Billboard Top 20, per Variety. Sobule is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule, as well as her nephews, Ian Matthew and Robert, and Robert’s wife Irina.