MONTREAL, QC. (THECOUNT) — Canadian rock singer Sass Jordan, the powerhouse vocalist behind hits including “Make You a Believer” and “High Road Easy,” has died at 63, her family announced Saturday.
Jordan died October 2, 2026, surrounded by her family, according to a statement posted to her social media accounts. Her family described her as “an inimitable force of nature” and “an irreplaceable being of light and joy.” A cause of death had not been released.
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Born Sarah Jordan in Birmingham, England, she moved with her family to Montreal when she was a young child and became one of Canada’s most recognizable rock performers. Her career spanned nearly four decades and included recording, touring, television and work as a songwriter and bass guitarist.
Jordan broke through with her 1988 debut album, Tell Somebody, which established her as a major new voice in Canadian rock. In 1989, she won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year, the first major national honor of a career that would produce multiple Juno nominations.
Her biggest commercial success came with Racine, released in 1992. The album produced “Make You a Believer,” “I Want to Believe,” “You Don’t Have to Remind Me” and other rock favorites. “Make You a Believer” reached No. 11 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart, while Billboard named Jordan its Top Female Rock Artist of 1992.
Although Jordan never became a mainstream U.S. pop superstar on the level of some of her Canadian contemporaries, she earned significant recognition south of the border and built a devoted American rock following. She toured with major acts including Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Van Halen, placing her alongside some of the biggest rock names of the era.
One of the most notable chapters of Jordan’s career involved a young drummer who would later become a rock superstar in his own right: Taylor Hawkins. Hawkins joined Jordan’s touring group when he was 22, years before he became the drummer for the Foo Fighters. He later credited Jordan with helping teach him the realities of life as a professional touring musician.
Hawkins also played drums on Jordan’s 1994 album Rats. More than two decades later, Jordan reunited with Hawkins onstage in Toronto in 2015 when she joined the Foo Fighters for a performance of the Faces’ “Stay With Me.” In 2023, a live recording from Jordan’s 1994 tour featuring Hawkins was released as Live in New York Ninety-Four.
Jordan also reached a new generation of Canadian music fans as a judge on Canadian Idol, serving throughout all six seasons of the television competition beginning in 2003. Her blunt, direct style and extensive experience as a performer made her one of the show’s most recognizable judges.
As her career progressed, Jordan increasingly explored the blues influences that had long been part of her sound. Her later albums included Rebel Moon Blues in 2020 and Bitches Blues in 2022. The latter reached No. 15 on Billboard’s Blues Albums chart.
Jordan shared a fond memory on social media about meeting Plant backstage at the Montreal Forum during his 1988 Now and Zen tour.
Jordan remained active on the concert circuit into 2026. In September, however, her team announced that she was stepping away from her remaining performances because of a serious medical condition and would be focusing on her health and recovery. No specific illness or cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
Her connection to Joe Cocker also became part of her musical legacy. Jordan recorded “Trust in Me” with Cocker for The Bodyguard soundtrack, adding another major name to a career that repeatedly intersected with prominent figures in rock and popular music.
Jordan’s death leaves behind a catalog that helped define Canada’s hard-rock sound of the late 1980s and 1990s, while her work with Hawkins has given her an enduring connection to the history of the Foo Fighters and one of rock’s most influential drummers.
She is survived by her husband, musician Derek Sharp, daughter Stella Jordan-Sharp, stepdaughter Brianne Sharp and brother Daniel Jordan.
Montreal, where Jordan was raised and established herself as a musician, is Quebec’s largest city and Canada’s second-largest metropolitan area. Jordan’s career ultimately took her from the city’s club scene to international rock stages and television audiences across Canada.
Google Maps: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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