Sass Jordan, the Montreal-raised rock singer who won a Juno Award in 1989 and later judged Canadian Idol, died on Oct. 2, 2026, her family said in a statement posted to social media.
Her record Racine sold an estimated 450,000 copies worldwide, including about 100,000 in Canada, after its release in 1992, according to Blabbermouth. Billboard named her its top female rock artist that year.
The family said she died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, and called her “an inimitable force of nature.” No cause of death has been released.
Reports differ on her age. CTV News and Blabbermouth, citing her publicist, said she was 65. Yahoo News Canada and TMZ said 63. Canada News Media has not been able to confirm which is correct. Blabbermouth lists her birth date as Dec. 23, 1960, while Yahoo gives Dec. 23, 1962.
Born in Birmingham, England, Jordan moved to Montreal as a child. She fronted bands in the city’s clubs as a teenager and worked as a session singer before her solo debut, Tell Somebody, in 1988. The title track reached No. 11 in Canada, Blabbermouth reported, and the album led to the 1989 Juno for most promising female vocalist. Yahoo News Canada reported she was nominated for the best female vocalist Juno in 1990, 1993 and 1995.
She moved to Los Angeles in January 1990. Racine produced the single “Make You a Believer,” which reached No. 11 on Billboard’s mainstream rock chart. Her touring band at the time included a young drummer named Taylor Hawkins, who later joined Foo Fighters, according to both Blabbermouth and TMZ.
Many Canadians knew her from television. She joined Canadian Idol as a judge in 2003, and her 1994 album Rats yielded the Canadian hits “High Road Easy” and “Sun’s Gonna Rise.” She released her first blues album, Rebel Moon Blues, in 2020.
Tributes came from across the Canadian music community. Three Days Grace singer Adam Gontier wrote that “she had such an incredible impact on Canada,” Yahoo News Canada reported. Singer Jully Black, who was a mentor on Canadian Idol, said Jordan was “gone too soon.” Bif Naked wrote, “Love you, sweet lady. Love you forever.”
No funeral or memorial details have been announced.
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Via CTV News (Canadian Press), Blabbermouth, Yahoo News Canada and TMZ.
