Jill Sobule, the award-winning singer-songwriter behind one of many first LGBTQ+ songs to hit the mainstream – I Kissed A Lady – has died in a home hearth.
Her demise in Woodbury, Minnesota, was introduced by her publicist. It was not instantly clear how the fireplace began.
The 66-year-old’s supervisor, John Porter, known as her “a force of nature and human rights advocate,” whose “music is woven into our culture”.
He mentioned in an announcement: “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.”
Sharing a photograph of herself with Sobule from 2001, singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman wrote on X: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Jill Sobule. Let us listen to her music to honor the wonderful singer-songwriter she was.”
Sobule had been resulting from play a gig in Denver on Friday night time, however the occasion will now turn out to be a tribute to her life. A proper memorial will likely be held later this summer time.
Over three many years of performing and recording, the singer-songwriter launched 12 albums, exploring advanced subjects together with the demise penalty, anorexia nervosa, replica and LGBTQ+ points.
Her first album, Issues Right here Are Completely different, was launched in 1990.
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5 years later, she obtained widespread consideration for her hit singles, Supermodel, from the film Clueless, and I Kissed A Lady, which, regardless of being banned on a number of southern radio stations, made it into the Billboard Prime 20 within the US.
In 2008, Katy Perry’s worldwide hit I Kissed A Lady – which used the identical title however was not a canopy model – created a renewed curiosity in her monitor.
Sobule additionally starred in an autobiographical off-Broadway musical that includes songs and tales about her life.
An early adopter of crowdfunding, in 2008, after two main document firms dumped her and two indie labels went bankrupt beneath her, she raised tens of hundreds of {dollars} from followers so she might make a brand new album.
Picture:
Sobule in 2023. Pic: AP
A shy youngster, Sobule was born in Denver, Colorado, on 16 January 1959.
She would go on to carry out with stars together with Neil Younger, Cyndi Lauper and Billy Bragg, and mentioned she would “wing” her frequent stay exhibits, by no means making ready a set listing.
She made a cameo on an episode of The Simpsons in 2019.
In a 2023 interview with The Related Press, she mentioned: “In a good way, I feel like I’m still a rookie. There’s so much more to do and I haven’t done my best yet.”
She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule, alongside along with her nephews and cousins.
