Jill Sobule, Singer-Songwriter (‘I Kissed a Girl’), Dies in House Fire
by Best Classic Bands Staff
Jill Sobule, a singer-songwriter best known for her 1995 single, “I Kissed a Girl,” died early this morning (May 1, 2025), in a house fire in Woodbury, part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., metropolitan area. The openly bisexual performer was in the midst of a spring tour and was scheduled to perform on Friday in her hometown of Denver, Colo. A report from the ABC-TV affiliate in Minneapolis indicated that “firefighters were called to the 9200 block of Pinehurst Road around 5:30 a.m. When crews arrived, they found the house in flames and were told by the homeowners that one person–identified as a woman in her 60s–was still possibly inside.”
Her manager, John Porter, shared the following statement: “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, and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.”
Sobule’s most recent project was her New York Times Critic’s pick, Drama Desk-nominated, autobiographical coming-of-age musical F*ck 7th Grade. After premiering at New York City’s Wild Project Theater in 2022, the show was rebooted in the winter of 2023 and again in 2024 (in total it enjoyed four runs, in three years). The original cast recording of the show is set to be released on June 6, alongside a special 30th anniversary reissue of her landmark self-titled album, featuring both “I Kissed a Girl” and the alt-rock anthem “Supermodel,” featured in the film Clueless. Sobule had another two dozen concerts planned on her 2025 concert calendar.
In a dozen albums spanning three decades of recording, the Denver-born guitarist tackled such topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, shoplifting, reproduction, the French Resistance, adolescent malaise and intolerance, with her signature wit and soul-bearing authenticity.
Jill Sobule’s most recent publicity shot (Photo: Shervin Lainez)
Her debut album, 1990’s Things Here Are Different, for MCA, was produced by Todd Rundgren. It would be five years before she released her follow-up, a self-titled effort for Atlantic’s Lava label. It proved to be her most successful due to the inclusion of the two tracks in the same year’s feature film, Clueless.
During her career, Sobule, born January 16, 1959, performed with Neil Young, Billy Bragg, Steve Earle, Cyndi Lauper, Warren Zevon and others. She inducted Neil Diamond into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The upcoming 30th anniversary edition of her self-titled album is available here.
Related: Musician deaths of 2025
3 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationWhy do we have to identify her by her sexuality … seems very odd .. like so what ?!
Jillie—We debated including that. But it was a key part of her identity, causes and uniqueness throughout her career, and helps explain her signature tune for those unfamiliar with her, as she was not a household name.
I went to a gig years ago where she was supporting Lloyd Cole. My girlfriend liked her better than the main act and became a fan. RIP.