Sass Jordan, the Canadian rock singer, has died at 65

Jordan died on Oct 2 of an undisclosed illness, surrounded by her family, her husband and musical partner Derek Sharp said.

Copies sold by her 1992 album Racine

450,000 copies

Her 1992 album Racine sold 450,000 copies in the United States and Canada, after her 1988 debut, Tell Somebody, won her a Juno Award for most promising female vocalist.

Television viewers knew her as a judge on Canadian Idol, in all six seasons of the show from 2003 to 2008.

Born in Birmingham, England, she grew up in Montreal and was fronting bands in the city's clubs by 16.

“She was a trailblazer. There weren't a lot of women fronting rock bands in the 80s and 90s,” said Jake Gold, her former manager and fellow Canadian Idol judge.

— Jake Gold, her former manager