CANADAIAN hard rock singer and songwriter Sass Jordan has died. She was 65.
Jordan died peacefully on october 2, 2026, surrounded by her family, according to a statement released by her relatives. No cause of death has been disclosed.
In September she cancelled the remainder of her 2026 tour dates after citing a serious medical condition and was advised to step away from professional commitments to focus on her health.
Born Sarah Jordan on December 23, 1960, in Birmingham, England, she moved to Montreal as a young child when her father, French literature professor Albert Jordan, took a university post there.
Her mother was former English ballerina Jean Lanceman.Jordan began performing in her teens and built a reputation on the Montreal music scene before releasing her debut album, Tell Somebody, in 1988.
The title track helped earn her the Juno Award for most promising female vocalist of the year in 1989.
Her 1992 album Racine brought further success, with the single “Make You a Believer” becoming one of her best-known songs and reaching the upper ranks of rock charts.
She followed it with Rats and continued releasing albums across more than three decades while touring with major acts including Aerosmith and Van Halen.
Jordan later became a familiar face on television as a judge on all six seasons of Canadian Idol. She remained active as a performer into 2026 and was also recognised for mentoring younger musicians, including early support that helped launch the career of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
She is survived by her husband, musician Derek Sharp, daughter Stella Jordan-Sharp, stepdaughter Brianne Sharp and brother Daniel Jordan. The family has asked for privacy while they grieve.
Jordan was widely remembered as a powerful voice in Canadian rock who helped carve out space for women in a male-dominated genre. Publicist Eric Alper said she gave the country’s rock scene one of its most recognisable voices over four decades.
