Sass Jordan, Montreal-raised rock singer and Canadian Idol judge, dies at 65

Sass Jordan, the Montreal-raised rock singer whose raspy voice drove hits such as Make You a Believer and who spent six seasons as a judge on Canadian Idol, has died at 65. Jordan died Friday surrounded by those who loved her most, family spokesperson Eric Alper said in a statement, The Canadian Press reported. A post on her social media page on Saturday said she died “surrounded by her loving family” and called her an “inimitable force of nature” and an “irreplaceable being of light and joy.” A cause of death has not been released. Some early reports gave her age as 63; CBC News later corrected its story to 65.

Born Sarah Jordan in Birmingham, England, on Dec. 23, 1960, she was the daughter of a French literature professor and a ballerina, and her family moved to Montreal when she was three, Billboard reported. By 16 she was fronting bands in the city’s clubs, and she went on to sing and play bass in the local band the Pinups. Her solo debut, Tell Somebody, came out on Atlantic Records in 1988 and won her the 1989 Juno Award for most promising female vocalist. She was nominated for female vocalist of the year in 1990, 1993 and 1995.

Jordan moved to Los Angeles in 1990, and her 1992 album Racine became her commercial peak. Make You a Believer reached No. 11 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, and High Road Easy climbed to No. 6 in 1994. Racine sold an estimated 450,000 copies worldwide, about 100,000 of them in Canada, Yahoo News Canada reported. A 2006 Montreal Gazette profile, republished Sunday, noted that Tell Somebody went platinum in Canada, that Racine went double platinum and that Billboard named her female rock artist of the year. She also sang Trust in Me with Joe Cocker on the soundtrack of The Bodyguard, which spent 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

On the road she toured with Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Van Halen. Her band was a training ground for younger players, including Taylor Hawkins, later of the Foo Fighters, who joined as her drummer at 22, Billboard reported. Rats (1994) was reportedly her favourite of her own albums, Yahoo noted, and it was followed by Present in 1997, Hot Gossip in 2000, Get What You Give in 2006 and From Dusk ’til Dawn in 2009, the last produced by her husband, Derek Sharp.

To many Canadians, Jordan was best known from television. She joined Canadian Idol as a judge when it launched in 2003 and stayed for all six seasons, and she later named Carly Rae Jepsen and Melissa O’Neil among her favourite contestants, Billboard reported. In the 2006 Gazette interview she joked about her husky voice: “I don’t look like I’m gonna sound.” She also said that “performing is my most favourite thing in the whole world — except laughing.”

In her later years Jordan turned to the blues. Rebel Moon Blues, a 2020 album recorded in Toronto with her band the Champagne Hookers, reached No. 5 on Billboard’s Blues Albums chart, and Bitches Blues followed in 2022. She made both records with Sharp, a member of the Guess Who, for Stony Plain Records. Geoff Kulawick, the label’s former president, called her “bold, beautiful and brave” and said he convinced her she could “really belt out the blues.” He told The Canadian Press: “Her voice really stood out and the way she was able to connect emotionally … brought her tons of fans.”

She had been working until recently. Last month an undisclosed medical issue reportedly forced her to cancel three shows in northwestern Ontario, in Thunder Bay, Fort Frances and Dryden, Yahoo News Canada reported. She had also been scheduled to play Quebec City with Styx on Oct. 24, but according to a social media post she was advised to step away from professional commitments for the rest of 2026.

Tributes came quickly. “She had such an incredible impact on Canada,” wrote Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace. Jully Black, who mentored on Canadian Idol, wrote that they had spent time together on the show, adding: “Gone too soon.” Glenn Hughes, formerly of Trapeze, said: “So suddenly, I’m heartbroken… A true friend,” and singer-songwriter Rose Cousins called the news “devastating.” In his statement Alper said Jordan, over four decades, “gave Canadian rock one of its most recognizable voices, carved out space for women in a genre long dominated by men, and opened doors for the young musicians who came through her band.”

Producer Derek Downham, who played drums with her last December at Andy Kim’s holiday charity concert in Montreal, remembered her as “a ray of light and a really hilarious person.” “She was coming up in a time where it wasn’t easy,” he told The Canadian Press. “I hope that people remember her for leading the way and that she led with love every time.” Jordan is survived by Sharp, her daughter Stella Jordan-Sharp, her stepdaughter Brianne Sharp and her brother Daniel Jordan, Billboard reported.

Sources: CBC News / The Canadian Press; Billboard; Yahoo News Canada; Montreal Gazette.