'I Kissed a Girl' Singer-Songwriter Jill Sobule Dies in House Fire

Jill Sobule, the singer-songwriter whose hit "I Kissed a Girl" was a groundbreaking queer-themed tune on the pop charts, died early Thursday in a Minneapolis house fire.

Her rep confirmed her passing to Variety. She was 66.

Her manager John Porter said in a 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, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others."

Sobule, who was born January 16, 1959, in Denver, released her debut album, "Things Here Are Different," in 1990. Though it boasted critical darling Todd Rundgren as its producer, it was not a big seller, and a follow-up was shelved.

Then, she was signed to Lava/Atlantic and released her self-titled album in 1995, achieving considerable Hot 100 success with "I Kissed a Girl," a modern rock track with a sing-song quality and tongue-in-cheek lyrics about housewives discovering their bisexuality.

The accompanying video was shot as an exaggerated fairy tale, complete with romance-cover model Fabio as society's masculine ideal.

Sobule, who'd battled anorexia as a teen, addressed eating disorders with her comic "Supermodel," a rock track that was immortalized on the soundtrack for "Clueless."

She released another eight studio albums on independent labels, two live albums, and five EPs. Along the way, she was an early supporter of using crowdfunding to produce albums.

Her other work included acting in the film "Mind the Gap" (2004) and contributing a theme song to the Nickelodeon series "Unfabulous" (2005).

She performed "The Jill and Julia Show" live with "SNL" veteran Julia Sweeney, and in 2022 introduced the solo show "F*ck7thGrade" off-Broadway, leading to a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Musical.

Just one day after she died, she had been scheduled to perform "Jill Sobule Presents: Songs from 'F*ck7thGrade' & More" in Denver.

Sobule is survived by her brother and sister-in-law and her two nephews.