Jill Sobule, singer-songwriter known for ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ dies in Woodbury fire

Jill Sobule the award-winning singer-songwriter whose witty and poignant writing first attracted widespread attention with the gay-themed song I Kissed a Girl died in a Woodbury house fire Thursday She was Her death was validated by her publicist David Elkin in an email Thursday afternoon It was not at once clear how the fire started Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our beliefs John Porter her manager announced in a announcement I was having so much fun working with her I lost a client a friend at present I hope her music memory legacy continue to live on and inspire others Sobule was staying with friends who lost Jill their house and their dogs Porter stated The Hollywood Reporter During her more than three decades of recording Sobule distributed albums that addressed such complex topics as the death penalty anorexia nervosa reproduction and LGBTQ issues Woodbury Populace Safety responders were alerted at a m to a fire on the block of Pinehurst Road according to the department The house was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived Homeowners notified responders that one person was likely still inside the home Woodbury firefighters worked to extinguish the flames while searching for the missing person and they ascertained her deceased according to Woodbury General Safety An examination into the cause of the fire and the cause of death is ongoing Woodbury Masses Safety announced there were no immediate signs of foul play Sobule s first album Things Here Are Different was issued in Five years later she received widespread attention for her hit singles Supermodel from the movie Clueless and I Kissed A Girl which despite being banned on several southern radio stations made it into the Billboard Top She also starred in an autobiographical off-Broadway musical that initially premiered at the Wild Project in New York in and includes songs and stories about her life Sobule was known for taking control of her career by fundraising so she could make her next album In after two major record companies dumped her and two indie labels went bankrupt beneath her she raised tens of thousands of dollars from fans so she could make a new album The old kind of paradigm where you ve reliably waited for other people to do things you d have your manager and your agent she commented at the time You d wait for the big record company to give you money to do things and they tell you what to do This is so great I want to do everything like this Sobule was scheduled to perform in Denver on Friday night Instead there will be an informal gathering hosted by her friend Ron Bostwick from The Colorado Sound at the performance space where attendees can share a story or song according to her publicist A formal memorial to celebrate her life and legacy will be held later this summer No one made me laugh more Her spirit and ability shall be greatly missed within the music society and beyond Craig Grossman her booking agent reported in a message Related Articles Singer Jill Sobule dies in Woodbury house fire St Paul police plan to encrypt dispatches as have Minneapolis other agencies Apostle Supper Club across from the Xcel Vitality Center to close Slow down and look up Extra law enforcement on MN roads starting Thursday Charges Man kills his mother sexually assaults Burnsville woman the next day Born in Denver Colorado on Jan she has described herself as a shy child who preferred observing over participating Sobule was known for playing dozens of shows a year and has described her live performances as vulnerable experiences She declared she often doesn t have a set list and wings it She s performed with such icons as Neil Young Billy Bragg and Cyndi Lauper and also inducted Neil Diamond into the Songwriter s Hall of Fame according to her website She also sang a song as herself on an episode of The Simpsons in In a good way I feel like I m still a rookie she explained The Associated Press in in an interview about her musical 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 along with her nephews and cousins Pioneer Press reporter Talia McWright contributed to this overview