Canadian rock and blues singer Sass Jordan dies at 65
Sass Jordan, a Juno-winning vocalist and former Canadian Idol judge, died peacefully on Oct. 2 at age 65, according to her family.
Canadian rock and blues vocalist Sass Jordan died on Oct. 2 at the age of 65, her family said. The family confirmed she passed away peacefully and was surrounded by loved ones.
Jordan began her recording career in 1986 as co-lead vocalist on a track for the band Bündock and quickly became a sought-after session singer in Montreal. She co-wrote the song “Rain,” which charted in Canada in 1987, and won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1989 after releasing her debut album “Tell Somebody.”
After relocating to Los Angeles in 1990, she issued the album “Racine” in 1992, which sold roughly 450,000 copies worldwide, including 100,000 in Canada. The single “Make You a Believer” reached #11 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart, and Billboard named her its top female rock artist of 1992.
Jordan joined the judging panel of “Canadian Idol” in 2003, serving as the sole female judge for all six seasons, and continued to record and perform for two more decades. > "If you love music and you’ve been around as long as I have, you pretty much do what you got to do. But I love music. I am a huge, gigantic fan," she said.
Born Sarah Jordan on Dec. 23, 1960, in Birmingham, England, she grew up in Montreal, fronting local bands and later playing bass and singing for The Pinups. She is survived by her husband Derek Sharp, daughter Stella Jordan-Sharp, stepdaughter Brianne Sharp and brother Daniel Jordan.