An investigation has been launched to determine if singer Jill Sobule passed away before the house fire that took her life.
The ’90s icon — known for her 1995 anthem “I Kissed a Girl” — failed to escape the blaze that broke out at her friend’s home in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Thursday. She was 66.
Now, investigators are looking into whether she was still alive when the house went up in flames.
Sobule’s body is being tested for drugs, alcohol and carbon monoxide poisoning to determine when and how she passed away, a Ramsey County representative in Minnesota told TMZ.
The Ramsey Medical Examiner also confirmed that an investigation into the cause and manner of her death is underway.
“WPD can confirm the victim of the fire yesterday morning was Jill Sobule,” WPD patrol commander Tom Ehrenberg told USA Today. He also revealed investigators are looking into how the fire started.
“The Ramsey County Medical Examiner did not finalize the cause of death. The fire itself, including the cause, is still under active investigation, which is standing operating procedure.”
The Post has reached out to the Ramsey County rep, the police department and the coroner for comment.
Sobule was reportedly staying with her pals when the unidentified couple’s house caught ablaze, Craig Grossman, the singer’s rep told TMZ.
Woodbury Public Safety authorities were called to the scene at around 5:30 a.m. for the report of an active house fire.
“Upon arrival, responders observed the house fully engulfed in flames. The homeowners reported one person was possibly still inside the home. Woodbury firefighters began actively fighting the fire while also searching for the missing person. Tragically, the missing female, in her 60s, was located deceased inside the home,” the Woodbury Police Department posted on Facebook.
The friends believed she ran out of the home with them; however, once they were safely outside, they discovered the gut-wrenching truth.
Sobule was still inside the house, and the fire was too intense for them to rescue her. Photos show the aftermath of the fatal inferno and the damage it caused to the outside of the property.
The couple has no idea what caused their property to catch on fire, with Grossman telling TMZ that none of the trio smoked and Sobule did not use drugs.
Her friends aren’t just in mourning. The pair reportedly have survivor’s guilt.
The Denver native first broke out on the scene 30 years ago with “I Kissed a Girl,” which is widely considered the first openly gay-themed tune to break into the Billboard Top 20.
However, Sobule found worldwide success with her song “Supermodel,” which was featured in Alicia Silverstone’s breakout movie “Clueless” (1995).
Millennials will remember the tune during the scene when Silverstone’s character Cher and Dionne (Stacey Dash) give their new friend, transfer student Tai (Brittany Murphy), a makeover.
Sobule was also behind the autobiographical Drama Desk-nominated musical “F–k 7th Grade.”
The project is approaching its 30-year anniversary, and the original cast recording is set to be released in June alongside a reissue of Sobule’s self-titled album, featuring her two best hits, “I Kissed a Girl” and “Supermodel.”
During Sobule’s career, she had 12 albums and even created the theme song for Nickelodeon’s “Unfabulous.”
Several of the singer’s colleagues addressed her death, with her manager, John Porter, telling The Post, “Jill Sobule 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 and a friend today. I hope her music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others.”
Her booking agent, Ken Hertz, added that “Jill wasn’t just a client. She was family to us.
“She showed up for every birth, every birthday, and every holiday. She performed at our daughter’s wedding, and I was her ‘tech’ when she performed by Zoom from our living room (while living with us) during the pandemic.”
Sobule was scheduled to perform “Jill Sobule presents: Songs From F–k 7th Grade & More” tonight in Denver, Colorado. In the wake of her shocking death, the event has been canceled.
An informal gathering will now take place in her honor, per the theater’s website.
Sobule is survived by her brother, James, sister-in-law, Mary, and two nephews. A formal memorial celebrating her life will reportedly happen later this summer.
