Groundbreaking American songwriter, Jill Sobule is dead, an amazing musician whose hit "I Kissed a Girl" is widely considered the first song with openly-gay themes to crack the Billboard Top 20, has died in a house fire in the US city of Minneapolis, her publicist said.
Sobule, whose humorous anthem Supermodel featured in the 1995 coming-of-age film Clueless, was 66 years old.
She had been due to perform on Friday in her home city of Denver to showcase songs from her autobiographical stage musical. A free gathering will now take place in her honour.
So many have been sending in their tributes on social media, including from English musician Lloyd Cole, who said: "I'm really too numb to post much of anything. We loved her. She loved us."
Born in 1959, Sobule's spent 30 years in the music industry, her music dealing with topics including the death penalty, anorexia and LGBTQ+ rights.
But her most famous work came on her eponymous 1995 album, which included Supermodel and I Kissed a Girl.
The latter drew renewed attention in 2008 when Katy Perry released a different single of her own with the same title.
Sobule later became a pioneer of using crowdfunding to release albums, and wrote music for theatre and television shows, including the theme for the Nickelodeon show Unfabulous.
John Porter, Sobule's manager, said she 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 & a friend today. I hope her music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others."
Eric Alper, a Canadian music correspondent, posted on X that she "paved the way with heart, humour, and honesty. The first openly gay artist to break the Billboard Top 20, her songs like "I Kissed a Girl" and "Supermodel" changed the soundtrack - and the conversation".
American actress Carrie Coon posted, "Jill Sobule was so special, Heartbreaking news."
Police in the suburb of Woodbury are currently trying to find out the cause of the fire at the house where Sobule was found, the Star Tribune reported.