'I Kissed a Girl' singer Jill Sobule dies aged 66

Groundbreaking artist Jill Sobule has passed away at the age of 66.

The singer-songwriter died early on Thursday morning in a fire at her Minneapolis home, as confirmed by her manager John Porter.

"Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture," said Porter in a statement.

"I was having so much fun working with her," he added. "I lost a client and a friend today. I hope her music, memory, and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.”

Tributes to the late musician have also been paid in social media.

"I'm really too numb to post much of anything," wrote English recording artist Lloyd Cole. "We loved her. She loved us."

Born in 1959, Sobule's musical career spanned three decades and a dozen albums, beginning with 1990's Things Here Are Different. Her groundbreaking body of work addressed social themes such as anorexia, intolerance and LGBTQ+ rights.

Some of the artist's best-known work came out of her self-titled 1995 album, which included the hits 'Supermodel', featured in the film Clueless' soundtrack, and 'I Kissed a Girl', widely regarded as the first openly LGBTQ-themed single to reach the Billboard Top 20.

In 2022, she co-wrote and performed Fuck 7th Grade, an autobiographical stage musical titled that had four runs in three years.

She was scheduled to perform songs from the musical on Friday in her native Denver.

A formal memorial in celebration of Sobule's life and legacy is set to take place this summer, according to her rep.