Canadian rock singer and Canadian Idol judge Sass Jordan has died at the age of 65.
Jordan died on October 2 surrounded by her family, according to a statement shared by her family. She was described as an “inimitable force of nature” and an “irreplaceable being of light and joy.” Her cause of death has not been disclosed.
Born in Birmingham, England, in 1960, Jordan moved to Montreal as a child and began performing in her teens. She launched her solo recording career with the 1988 album Tell Somebody and won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist the following year.
Her breakthrough came with the 1992 album Racine, which produced several Canadian hits and established her as one of the country’s prominent rock performers. Her 1994 album Rats also delivered major hits, including “High Road Easy” and “Sun’s Gonna Rise.”
Jordan later became widely known to television audiences as a judge on all six seasons of Canadian Idol between 2003 and 2008.
She also played an important role in the early career of late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who performed with her band before joining Alanis Morissette and later Foo Fighters.
Jordan continued recording music into her later years, releasing Rebel Moon Blues in 2020 and Bitches Blues in 2022.
In September, she cancelled a number of scheduled performances, citing a “serious medical condition.”
She is survived by her husband Derek Sharp, daughter Stella Jordan-Sharp, stepdaughter Brianne Sharp and brother Daniel Jordan.
