Sass Jordan, Canadian rock singer and Canadian Idol judge, dies at 63

Canadian rock singer and longtime Canadian Idol judge Sass Jordan has died aged 63, her family announced on Saturday.

In a statement shared on Instagram, Jordan’s family said the “Make You a Believer” singer “peacefully crossed over to the other side” on Friday, 2 October, “surrounded by her loving family”, People and Page Six report. “She remains in our hearts, an inimitable force of nature. An irreplaceable being of light and joy,” the statement said.

No cause of death has been disclosed. About three months ago, Jordan cancelled her remaining 2026 performances because of what her team described as a “serious medical condition”, the Fort Frances Times reported. Her final performance was at Peterborough Musicfest in July, according to People.

Born in Birmingham, England, Jordan moved to Montreal with her family at the age of three. She was fronting bands in downtown Montreal clubs by 16 and later played bass and sang for local group The Pinups.

Her debut album, Tell Somebody (1988), took its title track to No. 11 in Canada, and she won the Juno Award for most promising female vocalist the following year. Her second album, Racine, earned her Billboard’s Female Rock Artist of the Year title in 1992 and featured her signature hit “Make You a Believer”.

Jordan toured alongside Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Van Halen, recorded the duet “Trust in Me” with Joe Cocker for The Bodyguard soundtrack, and served as a judge on Canadian Idol for all six seasons from 2003.

She is survived by her husband, Derek Sharp, her daughter Stella, stepdaughter Brianne and brother Daniel, the family said, asking for privacy as they grieve.