Woodbury officials said the fire did not appear suspicious.
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 66.
Her death was confirmed by her publicist, David Elkin, in an email Thursday afternoon. It was not immediately clear how the fire started.
“Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture,” John Porter, her manager, said in a statement. “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.”
Sobule was staying with friends, who “lost Jill, their house and their dogs,” Porter told The Hollywood Reporter.
During her more than three decades of recording, Sobule released 12 albums that addressed such complex topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, reproduction and LGBTQ+ issues.
Woodbury Public Safety responders were alerted at 5:30 a.m. to a fire on the 9000 block of Pinehurst Road, according to the department. The house was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived.
Homeowners told 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 found her deceased, according to Woodbury Public Safety.
