Sass Jordan, Rock Singer and Canadian Idol Judge, Dies at 65

Rock and blues singer and longtime Canadian Idol judge Sass Jordan has died at the age of 65.

Her family confirmed her passing in an Instagram post on Saturday (Oct. 3), stating that she peacefully crossed over to the other side on Oct. 2 while surrounded by her loving family.

The family captioned a photo of Jordan holding a cat by noting that she remains in their hearts as an inimitable force of nature and an irreplaceable being of light and joy.

An official cause of death had not been disclosed at press time.

Born Sarah Jordan on Dec. 23, 1960, in Birmingham, England, Jordan was the daughter of a French literature professor and a ballerina. Her family relocated to Montreal when she was 3, and she began playing guitar as a young teenager. By age 16, she was fronting bands at downtown Montreal clubs before serving as singer and bassist for local band The Pinups.

Drawing inspiration from David Bowie, Bonnie Raitt, Aretha Franklin, and Aerosmith member Steven Tyler, Jordan began her recording career in 1986 as a co-lead vocalist on “Come On (Baby Tonight)” from Bündock’s album Mauve. Two years later, she released her solo debut, Tell Somebody, via Atlantic Records.

Her music gained quick recognition in Canada, earning her a Juno Award in 1989 for most promising female vocalist. She received additional nominations for female vocalist of the year in 1990, 1993, and 1995.

Publicist Eric Alper stated that over four decades, she gave Canadian rock one of its most recognizable voices, carved out space for women in a male-dominated genre, and opened doors for young musicians who came through her band.

Jordan relocated to Los Angeles in 1990 and released her career-defining album, Racine, two years later through MCA Records. The release featured “Make You a Believer,” which reached No. 11 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in 1992. Her highest-charting song on that chart was 1994’s “High Road Easy,” which peaked at No. 6.

She also recorded “Trust in Me” with Joe Cocker for the 1992 soundtrack to The Bodyguard. That album spent 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

During her career, Jordan toured with Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, and Van Halen. A 22-year-old Taylor Hawkins, who later joined Foo Fighters, played drums in her touring band.

Jordan joined Canadian Idol as a judge in 2003, serving for all six seasons. She subsequently cited Carly Rae Jepsen and Melissa O’Neil among her favorite contestants.

In 2020, she explored her interest in blues music with the covers album Rebel Moon Blues, recorded in Toronto with her band the Champagne Hookers. The eight-track release reached No. 5 on Billboard’s Blues Albums chart that year.

Jordan told Billboard at the time that she loved the music and that it made sense for her to do it because she had a bluesy voice and had always been called bluesy, adding that she decided to own it and had a blast doing it.

She is survived by her husband, Derek Sharp of The Guess Who; her daughter, Stella Jordan-Sharp; her stepdaughter, Brianne Sharp; and her brother, Daniel Jordan.