Canadian rock icon of the 1990s, Saas Jordan, has died

Singer-songwriter Sass Jordan, one of the leading figures of the Canadian rock scene during the 1990s and later a judge on the talent show "Canadian Idol," has died at age 65. The artist passed away on Oct. 2, according to a statement from her family on social media. The cause of death has not yet been reported.

According to The Guardian, Jordan died "surrounded by her loving family." The statement posted on social media described her as "an incomparable force of nature" and stated that she will remain "in our hearts" as "an irreplaceable being of light and joy."

Born in Birmingham, England, in 1960, Jordan moved with her family to Montreal as a child after her father, a French academic, accepted a position at Concordia University in that city.

Jordan began performing as a teenager, and by the time she was 20, she was already recording with various Montreal artists. Among her early works was writing a song for singer Michael Breen that reached the Canadian Top 40.

In 1988, she signed with Atlantic Records, which released her debut album, “Tell Somebody.” Two of her singles, the title track and "Double Trouble," charted near the Top 10 on the Canadian charts. A year later, Jordan won a Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys, for Most Promising Female Vocal Artist.

Her career gained greater prominence in 1992 with the album “Racine,” which produced four songs that entered the Canadian Top 20. The album coincided with her move to Los Angeles, her signing with RCA, and her contribution to the soundtrack of  “The Bodyguard,” one of the best-selling soundtracks of the era.

In 1994, the song "Sun's Gonna Rise," included on the album “Rats,” became her only single to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was also her biggest hit in Canada, where it peaked at number seven. During that period, Taylor Hawkins, who would later become the drummer for Foo Fighters, played as Jordan's live drummer.

After her contract with RCA ended, Jordan expressed disappointment with the more commercial sound of her subsequent albums. Her career received a new boost when she joined the judging panel for all six seasons of “Canadian Idol,” a television show dedicated to discovering new musical talent.

In 2001, Jordan also portrayed Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical *Love, Janis*. Five years later, she returned to recording with the album *You Get What You Give*, released in 2006.