Jill Sobule, singer of "I Kissed a Girl," dies in a fire at her Minnesota home.

Jill Sobule , the singer who gained success with the gay-themed song "I Kissed a Girl" and who received numerous awards for her witty and moving songwriting, died Thursday in a fire at her home. She was 66. Her publicist, David Elkin, confirmed her death and how the fire started at her home in Woodbury, Minnesota .

"Jill Sobule was a force of nature and a champion of human rights, whose music is rooted in our culture," her manager, John Porter, said in a statement. "I had so much fun working with her. Today I lost a client and a friend. I hope her music, her memory, and her legacy live on and inspire others."

Over her more than three-decade recording career, Sobule released 12 albums that tackled complex topics such as the death penalty, anorexia, reproduction, and LGBTQ+ issues. Her debut album, 'Things Here Are Different' , was released in 1990. Five years later, she received widespread attention for her hit singles, 'Supermode', from the film 'Clueless', and 'I Kissed A Girl', which, despite being banned from several Southern radio stations, reached the Billboard Top 20.

She also starred in an autobiographical musical that initially premiered at New York 's Wild Project in 2022 and features songs and stories about her life.

Sobule was known for taking charge of her career by fundraising to record her albums. In 2008, after two major record labels dropped her and two independent labels went bankrupt under her leadership, she raised tens of thousands of dollars from her fans to record a new album.

"The old paradigm, where you always expected others to do things, you had your manager and your agent," he said then. "You waited for the major label to give you money to do things and tell you what to do. This is great. I want to do everything like that."

Born in Denver, Colorado , on January 16, 1959, she described herself as a shy child who preferred to observe rather than participate.

Sobule performed dozens of concerts a year and has described her live performances as vulnerable experiences. She said she often doesn't have a set list and just improvises. She has performed with figures such as Neil Young, Billy Bragg and Cyndi Lauper , and Neil Diamond.

"In a good way, I feel like I'm still a beginner," she told The Associated Press in a 2023 interview about her musical. "There's so much more to do, and I haven't given it my all yet."