Sass Jordan dies: Singer and Canadian Idol judge at 65

Sass Jordan, the Juno Award-winning rock and blues singer and longtime Canadian Idol judge, has died at 65. 

Her family announced that she died peacefully on October 2, “surrounded by those who loved her most.” 

Her family described her as “an inimitable force of nature” and “an irreplaceable being of light and joy!” 

Some outlets reported her age as 63, but her publicist and her family’s announcement list it as 65. 

Three months before her death, Jordan had canceled her remaining 2026 performances because of what her team described as a serious medical condition.

Born Sarah Jordan on December 23, 1960, in Birmingham, England, she grew up in Montreal and was fronting bands in downtown clubs by 16.

She began her recording career in 1986 as co-lead vocalist on Bündock’s Come On (Baby Tonight), and won the 1989 Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist after her debut album, Tell Somebody. 

After moving to Los Angeles in 1990, she released her career-defining album, Racine, in 1992, and went on to tour alongside Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Van Halen. 

In 2003 she joined Canadian Idol as a judge, the only woman on the panel, and remained for all six seasons. 

A statement shared with PEOPLE described her as someone who “carved out space for women in a genre long dominated by men.”

She is survived by her husband, Derek Sharp, daughter Stella Jordan-Sharp, stepdaughter Brianne Sharp and brother Daniel Jordan. 

The family asked for privacy as they grieve.