Claudine Longet dead: Starlet who shot her Olympian boyfriend was 84
Los Angeles Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Claudine Longet, French-born singer and ex-wife of Andy Williams, died at age 84, confirmed by her nephew via social media tribute.
- Longet gained fame as a singer and actress in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing regularly on "The Andy Williams Show" and releasing several albums with a distinctive breathy lounge-pop style.
- In 1976, Longet was involved in the fatal shooting of Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, claiming it was an accident; she was acquitted of felony manslaughter but convicted of misdemeanor negligent homicide and served 30 days in jail.
- The high-profile case ended Longet’s entertainment career and attracted significant media attention, inspiring cultural references including a Rolling Stones song and a controversial "Saturday Night Live" sketch.
- After the trial, Longet married her defense attorney and lived mostly out of the public eye, with her last known public appearance in 2003 on an Andy Williams documentary.