Latest news with #Denver-born
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
Jill Sobule, 'I Kissed a Girl' singer, dies in Minnesota house fire
Jill Sobule, a singer-songwriter best known for her 1995 single 'I Kissed a Girl,' has died in a house fire in Minnesota at the age of 66. Her death was confirmed by her publicist on Thursday, though it was not immediately made clear how the fire in Woodbury, Minnesota, started, according to the Associated Press. Sobule was the singer-songwriter of 'I Kissed a Girl,' the first openly gay-themed song ever to crack the Billboard Top 20 and wrote over a dozen albums spanning three decades of recording, her publicist said. 'The Denver-born songwriter/guitarist/singer tackled such topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, shoplifting, reproduction, the French Resistance, adolescent malaise, intolerance, and the MAGA movement with her signature wit and soul-bearing authenticity,' the statement announcing her death said. 'Jill is considered a pioneer in crowdfunding, constantly explored new models to empower artists in an ever-changing music industry, and was the darling of the 'digirati' – Jill has performed at the TED conference more than any other artist.' Her most recent project was her New York Times critic's pick, Drama Desk-nominated, autobiographical coming-of-age musical 'F*ck 7th Grade.' '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,' said John Porter, Sobule's manager, following her passing. 'I hope her music, memory, and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.' 'I was fortunate enough to get to know Jill beyond a professional relationship. No one made me laugh more. Her spirit and energy shall be greatly missed within the music community and beyond,' said Sobule's booking agent, Craig Grossman. Sobule is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, her nephews, and a number of cousins. There will be a formal memorial celebrating her life and legacy later in the summer though no date has been announced.
USA Today
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Jill Sobule, 'Supermodel' singer from 'Clueless' soundtrack, dies in house fire at 66
Jill Sobule, 'Supermodel' singer from 'Clueless' soundtrack, dies in house fire at 66 Jill Sobule, the singer/songwriter whose hits included "I Kissed A Girl" and the "satirical gem" "Supermodel" from the "Clueless" soundtrack, has died. She was 66. Sobule's representatives announced the news in a May 1 press release posted on her Facebook page, which revealed her cause of death was "a house fire early this morning." The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that the fatal house fire happened in Woodbury, located on the outskirts of Saint Paul, Minnesota. In a statement shared on Facebook, Woodbury Public Safety said that "responders observed the house fully engulfed in flames." "The homeowners reported one person was possibly still inside the home. Woodbury firefighters began actively fighting the fire while also searching for the missing person," the statement read. "Tragically, the missing female, in her 60s, was located deceased inside the home. Woodbury Public Safety remains on scene actively investigating the cause of the fire." USA TODAY has reached out to the Woodbury Public Safety Department for more information. The press release from Sobule's representatives included remembrances from her manager, booking agent and attorney. Manager John Porter paid tribute to her as "force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture." In lieu of her scheduled show at Swallow Hill Music in Denver on May 2, there will instead be "an informal gathering" hosted by her friend, 105.5 The Colorado Sound host Rob Bostwick. "Folks are encouraged to join their fellow Jill friends and fans to share a story or song," the press release noted. A memorial service will take place "later this summer." 'I Kissed A Girl' was 'first ever openly queer-themed' single to chart The Denver-born Sobule was scheduled to embark on a three-show "Colorado world tour" in May, with summer performances taking her to the East Coast, Midwest and West Coast. Her last performance was seemingly as a supporting act for The Fixx on April 25 at Illinois' Arcada Theatre. On Sobule's website, "I Kissed A Girl" is described as "the first ever openly queer-themed Billboard Top 20 record." Throughout the three decades of her musical career, she wrote tracks inspired by "such topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, shoplifting, reproduction, the French Resistance, adolescent malaise, LGBTQ issues, and the Christian Right." She also produced an off-Broadway autobiographical musical, which had four separate runs in three years. In her 2022 New York Times review, theater critic Laura Collins-Hughes described Sobule as "enchanting." "I wish I would have said to all of them: it's a big ol' gay gay song," she told the crowd during an October 2022 performance, per Collins-Hughes' review. "But I didn't. I was too scared. I wanted to do the smart thing. I wanted to be arty and transgressive, but I wanted to sell records. The compromising got me nowhere. And then I couldn't stand my own song." Jill Sobule 'started loving music again' with her last album Sobule's first album, "Things Here Are Different," came out in 1990. But as her website notes, her second album – 1995's self-titled "Jill Sobule" – "brought her mainstream commercial and critical success," especially with its singles "I Kissed A Girl" and "Supermodel." Her most recent album, "Nostalgia Kills," came out in 2018. Speaking with Billboard before the record's release, Sobule admitted that for years she "went through an extended period of time of finding other things and avoiding doing a new album." "There were things that happened in my life — the death of a parent, a breakup, a move. I was my own procrastinatrix, is what I call it," she said. "But I think those kind of jostle you back into the creative mode, and I started loving music again — loving listening, loving writing and the original spirit of why I did this in the first place, I suppose." Sobule is survived by her brother and her sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule, her nephews and "numerous beloved cousins and countless friends."
7NEWS
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Singer Jill Sobule, known for iconic '90s anthems ‘I Kissed a Girl' and ‘Supermodel,' dies in house fire
Jill Sobule, singer of 1995 hit tracks 'I Kissed a Girl' and 'Supermodel,' has died at the age of 66 in a house fire. Sobule died early on Thursday morning, local time, according to a statement from her publicity firm. The Denver-born singer's song, 'I Kissed a Girl' – off of her 1995 self-titled album – became the first openly LGBTQ-themed song to chart on the Billboard Top 20. She is perhaps best known for her single, 'Supermodel,' which featured prominently in the popular 1995 movie 'Clueless' and helped Sobule break through to the mainstream. Her manager, John Porter, in a statement said Sobule was 'a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture' and that he hoped her 'music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others'. Sobule's musical career spanned over three decades, starting in the 1990s with her debut album 'Things Here are Different', which was produced by rock legend and record producer Todd Rundgren. The album was known for its track, 'Too Cool to Fall in Love'. Her musical oeuvre includes 12 albums that took on issues including the death penalty, disordered eating and LGBTQ+ issues. She also performed with a string of artists, including Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper and Tom Morello. Sobule released her seventh studio album, 'California Years', in 2009 and then went on an extended break. In 2018, she released what is now her final album, 'Nostalgia Kills'. 'I was my own procrastinatrix, is what I call it,' she told Billboard in a 2018 interview about her long break between albums. 'I started loving music again — loving listening, loving writing and the original spirit of why I did this in the first place, I suppose.' Sobule added that she loved to perform, 'and I love telling the stories of the songs'. Sobule's PR firm said a formal memorial celebrating the singer's life and legacy will take place later this year. The singer is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, her nephews, cousins and friends.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jill Sobule, singer of iconic '90s anthems ‘I Kissed a Girl' and ‘Supermodel,' dead at 66 in house fire
Jill Sobule, singer of 1995 hit tracks 'I Kissed a Girl' and 'Supermodel,' has died at the age of 66. Sobule died early Thursday morning in a house fire, according to a statement from her publicity firm. The Denver-born singer's song 'I Kissed a Girl,' off of her 1995 self-titled album, became the first openly LGBTQ-themed song to chart on the Billboard Top 20. She is perhaps best known for her single 'Supermodel,' also off her self-titled album, which was her second. 'Supermodel' was prominently featured in the popular 1995 movie 'Clueless,' helping Sobule break through to the mainstream. John Porter, Jill's manager, said in a statement that Sobule was 'a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture' and that he hopes her 'music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others.' Sobule's musical career spanned over three decades, starting in the 1990s with her debut album 'Things Here are Different,' which was produced by rock legend and record producer Todd Rundgren. The record was known for its track 'Too Cool to Fall in Love.' Her musical oeuvre includes 12 albums that take on issues including the death penalty, disordered eating and LGBTQ+ issues, among other topics. She performed with Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper and Tom Morello, among many others. Sobule released her seventh studio album 'California Years' in 2009 and then went on an extended break from releasing music. In 2018, she released what is now her final album, 'Nostalgia Kills.' 'I was my own procrastinatrix, is what I call it,' she told Billboard in a 2018 interview about her long break between albums. 'I started loving music again — loving listening, loving writing and the original spirit of why I did this in the first place, I suppose.' Sobule added that she loved to perform, 'and I love telling the stories of the songs.' According to her website, Sobule was set to perform this weekend in Colorado, with further dates planned throughout the US into the summer and fall. Her PR firm's statement said there will be a formal memorial celebrating the singer's life and legacy later this year. Sobule is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, her nephews, cousins and friends. This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Jill Sobule, singer of iconic '90s anthems ‘I Kissed a Girl' and ‘Supermodel,' dead at 66 in house fire
Jill Sobule, singer of 1995 hit tracks 'I Kissed a Girl' and 'Supermodel,' has died at the age of 66. Sobule died early Thursday morning in a house fire, according to a statement from her publicity firm. The Denver-born singer's song 'I Kissed a Girl,' off of her 1995 self-titled album, became the first openly LGBTQ-themed song to chart on the Billboard Top 20. She is perhaps best known for her single 'Supermodel,' also off her self-titled album, which was her second. 'Supermodel' was prominently featured in the popular 1995 movie 'Clueless,' helping Sobule break through to the mainstream. John Porter, Jill's manager, said in a statement that Sobule was 'a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture' and that he hopes her 'music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others.' Sobule's musical career spanned over three decades, starting in the 1990s with her debut album 'Things Here are Different,' which was produced by rock legend and record producer Todd Rundgren. The record was known for its track 'Too Cool to Fall in Love.' Her musical oeuvre includes 12 albums that take on issues including the death penalty, disordered eating and LGBTQ+ issues, among other topics. She performed with Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper and Tom Morello, among many others. Sobule released her seventh studio album 'California Years' in 2009 and then went on an extended break from releasing music. In 2018, she released what is now her final album, 'Nostalgia Kills.' 'I was my own procrastinatrix, is what I call it,' she told Billboard in a 2018 interview about her long break between albums. 'I started loving music again — loving listening, loving writing and the original spirit of why I did this in the first place, I suppose.' Sobule added that she loved to perform, 'and I love telling the stories of the songs.' Sobule's PR firm's statement said there will be a formal memorial celebrating the singer's life and legacy later this year. Sobule is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, her nephews, cousins and friends. This story has been updated with additional information.
