Canadian singer Sass Jordan has passed away at the age of 65.
According to an Instagram post, she died on October 2 “surrounded by her loving family.” No cause of death has been revealed.
Jordan is best known for her raspy voice and musical blend of blues and rock, which earned her a Juno Award in 1989 for Most Promising Female Vocalist. She was also nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1990, 1993 and 1995.
From 2003 to 2008, she served as one of the judges on all six seasons of CTV’s Canadian Idol.
Described as “Canada’s Queen of Rock & Blues,” Jordan was originally born in Birmingham, England on December 23, 1960, but moved to Montreal at a young age.
As a teenager, Jordan began singing in Montreal clubs, joining the band The Pinups at the age of 16.
She signed a deal with Atlantic Records and released her debut solo album, Tell Somebody, in 1988, and eventually made the move to Los Angeles.
In 1992, she released her breakthrough album, Racine, which pushed a “barroom hard rock” style that featured hit singles “Make You A Believer” and “I Want To Believe.”
Around this time, Jordan recruited a young drummer by the name of Taylor Hawkins to join her band. Before playing with Alanis Morissette and most notably, Foo Fighters, Hawkins would credit Jordan for teaching him “how to be in a rock band.” Dave Grohl once said, “If it weren’t for Sass Jordan, Taylor Hawkins wouldn’t be in Foo Fighters.”
Jordan released ten albums in her career, most recently 2022’s Bitches Blues.
She is survived by her husband, Derek Sharp, daughter Stella Jordan-Sharp (Daniel Yepes), stepdaughter Brianne Sharp, brother Daniel Jordan (Isabelle Courville).