Rest in peace, Sass Jordan The Canadian rock icon and former “Canadian Idol” judge has died at 63.

The music world has lost one of Canada’s most powerful rock voices. Sass Jordan, the British-born singer who became a household name as a judge on Canadian Idol, has died.

Her family announced the news on her Instagram account, sharing that she died peacefully on October 2, surrounded by her loving family. In their statement, they described her as “an inimitable force of nature” and “an irreplaceable being of light and joy.”

From Birmingham to Montreal

Jordan was born in Birmingham, England, and moved to Montreal as a child after her father took a teaching job at Concordia University. Music grabbed her early. She was performing as a teenager, and by her early twenties she was recording with some of Montreal’s top artists. She also started writing her own songs, including one for singer Michael Breen that became a Canadian Top 40 hit.

Her breakthrough

Her big moment came in 1988 with her debut album, Tell Somebody. It produced two Canadian hits, the title track and “Double Trouble,” and the following year she won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist.

Her 1992 album Racine took her career even further. It delivered four Top 20 hits, including “Make You a Believer,” and became her best-selling record.

Taking on the U.S.

Feeling she had outgrown Montreal, Jordan moved to Los Angeles to chase bigger success. She landed a spot on the soundtrack of The Bodyguard, one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time, with her duet alongside Joe Cocker.

In 1994, “Sun’s Gonna Rise” became her biggest Canadian hit, climbing to No. 7 and crossing over to the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Fans also loved her electric live shows, and her touring band once included a young drummer named Taylor Hawkins, who later joined Foo Fighters.

A new chapter on TV and stage

Despite her success, Jordan later said she wasn’t fully happy with the direction of some of her albums. So she branched out. In 2001, she played Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical Love, Janis. Then in 2003 she joined Canadian Idol as a judge, staying for all six seasons and winning over a whole new generation of fans.

Back to her roots

In her later years, Jordan returned to the blues and rock that first inspired her. Her 2020 album Rebel Moon Blues reached the top five of the U.S. blues chart, and she followed it with her final studio album, Bitches Blues, in 2022.

Health struggles in her final months

Sadly, just weeks before her death, Jordan canceled her remaining 2026 tour dates because of what her team called a “serious medical condition.” Her family has not shared a cause of death.

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

Rest in peace, Sass Jordan. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and fans. 🕊️