Canadian rock singer and longtime Canadian Idol judge Sass Jordan has died at the age of 63.
Jordan’s family announced her death on Instagram, saying she “peacefully crossed over to the other side” on Thursday, October 2, while surrounded by her family.
“She remains in our hearts, an inimitable force of nature,” the family wrote alongside a photo of Jordan cuddling a cat. “An irreplaceable being of light and joy!”
Born in England to a French literature professor and a ballerina, Jordan moved to Montreal with her family at the age of three. According to her publicist Eric Alper, she began playing guitar with friends in Westmount Park as a teenager.
By the age of 16, Jordan was performing as the frontwoman of bands at clubs in downtown Montreal.
Over a career spanning more than four decades, Jordan became one of the most recognisable voices in Canadian rock.
She also became known for supporting and mentoring young musicians, particularly women in a male-dominated rock scene.
Jordan began her recording career as a co-lead vocalist on “Come On (Baby Tonight)” from Bündock’s album Mauve. Two years later, she released her solo debut album, Tell Somebody.
The album’s title track reached No. 11 in Canada, while Jordan won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist the following year.
She later received Juno nominations for Best Female Vocalist in 1990, 1993 and 1995.
Throughout her career, Jordan toured with major rock acts including Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Van Halen.
In 2003, she joined Canadian Idol as a judge and remained with the series throughout all six seasons.
Her publicist described Jordan as a woman whose “generosity and fire” touched everyone who shared a stage, studio or kitchen table with her.
“She was one of the funniest, most foul-mouthed people I’ve ever met and I adored every minute of hearing her talk,” Alper told CTV News after her death. “She knew exactly what she wanted to do at such a very early age and she never took it for granted and she got to do it.”
Three months before her death, Jordan cancelled her remaining performances for the year because of what her team described as a “serious medical condition”. Her final performance took place at Peterborough Musicfest in July.
Jordan is survived by her husband, Derek Sharp; daughter Stella Jordan-Sharp and her husband Daniel Yepes; stepdaughter Brianne Sharp; and brother Daniel Jordan and his wife Isabelle Courville.
Her family has asked for privacy as they grieve and thanked fans around the world for the love and music they shared with Jordan throughout her life.
