Claudine Longet, Adult Contemporary Hitmaker of the 1960s Who Fatally Shot an Olympic Skier in 1976, Dies at 84

Claudine Longet, the French-born singer and actress who became a figure of international notoriety following the 1976 fatal shooting of her boyfriend, Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, has died at the age of 84. Her death was announced on May 14, 2026, and confirmed by her nephew, Bryan Longet.

Longet’s life and career were marked by a transition from the heights of 1960s pop stardom and high-society connections to a scandalous legal battle that sparked global debate over the American justice system’s treatment of the wealthy.

The defining event of Longet’s public life occurred on March 21, 1976, in Aspen, Colorado. While living at Sabich’s Starwood chalet, Longet shot the 31-year-old skier in the abdomen with an imitation World War II .22-caliber German-made pistol. Longet’s daughter, Noelle, was present in the home during the incident. Sabich died in an ambulance while being transported to the hospital.

Charged with felony reckless manslaughter, Longet faced a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. During her trial, she testified that the weapon had accidentally discharged while Sabich was demonstrating how it functioned. In January 1977, after four days of testimony, a jury acquitted her of the felony charge and convicted her of a misdemeanor charge of negligent homicide.

The resulting sentence—a small fine and 30 days in jail—became a subject of intense media scrutiny. The trial judge allowed Longet to serve the 30 days at a time of her choosing to accommodate her children, leading her to serve most of the sentence on weekends.

Longet’s ex-husband, singer Andy Williams, provided significant support during the legal proceedings. Williams paid for her legal defense and escorted her to and from the courthouse. In a 2009 interview with CBS’ This Morning, Williams explained his support, stating, "I did because I thought it was unfair," and "I thought she was innocent. I thought it was an accident."

The legal outcome inspired cultural critiques, including a biting April 1976 sketch on Saturday Night Live titled “The Claudine Longet Invitational.” The sketch featured Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin as commentators describing a race where male skiers were “accidentally” shot by Longet. The sketch prompted a rare on-air apology from announcer Don Pardo, which stated:

“On April 24th, 1976, Saturday Night included a sketch about a Claudine Longet Invitational Ski Championship in Vail, Colorado, as part of the program’s topical humor. It’s desirable to correct any misunderstanding that a suggestion was made that, in fact, a crime had been committed. The satire was fictitious and its intent only humorous. This is a statement of apology if the material was misinterpreted.”

Don Pardo, Saturday Night Live

Longet’s legal troubles also influenced the music world. In 1980, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote a song titled “Claudine” for the Rolling Stones. While deemed too controversial for the original 1978 album Emotional Rescue, the track was later released on a 2011 deluxe reissue of Some Girls. The lyrics included the line, "I hope you never try to make a sacrifice of me, Claudine," and "Don’t get, don’t get trigger happy with me, Claudine."

Musical Career and Rise to Fame

Born in Paris on January 29, 1942, Longet entered the entertainment industry in 1960 at the age of 18. She was hired by American impresario Lou Walters to perform as a lead dancer in the Folies Bergère revue at the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

It was during her time in Las Vegas that she met Andy Williams. The two married in December 1961 and eventually moved to Malibu, California, where they had three children. Longet became a frequent presence on The Andy Williams Show and his annual holiday specials. In February 1964, the couple released the gold-certified album The Wonderful World of Andy Williams, which reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and featured their duet “Let It Be Me” (“Je t’Appartiens”).

Longet established her own recording career in the late 1960s, recording seven albums in total. Between 1966 and 1970, she recorded five albums for A&M Records, produced largely by Tommy LiPuma. Her debut album, Claudine, reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200 in July 1967 and was certified gold in April 1970. The album featured the songs “Meditation (Meditação)” and “Hello, Hello.”

Her highest-charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100 was a French vocal version of Paul Mauriat’s “Love Is Blue,” titled “Love Is Blue (L’Amour Est Bleu),” which reached No. 71 in March 1968. Following her tenure at A&M, she recorded two albums for Williams’ Barnaby Records: We’ve Only Just Begun (1971), produced by Nick DeCaro, and Let’s Spend the Night Together (1972), produced by Ken Mansfield.

Acting and Personal Life

In addition to her music, Longet pursued acting. In April 1968, she co-starred with Peter Sellers in the Blake Edwards film The Party, in which she performed the song “Nothing to Lose,” written by Henry Mancini and Don Black. She also appeared as a guest star on the drama series Run for Your Life in 1966.

Longet and Williams maintained close ties with Senator Robert F. Kennedy and his wife, Ethel. The couple was present at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, when the senator was shot, and attended his funeral mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on June 8. Longet and Williams accompanied the Kennedy family on the funeral train to Arlington National Cemetery and named their son after the senator.

The marriage between Longet and Williams deteriorated by 1970, and they legally separated before divorcing in January 1975. Reflecting on the split in a 2009 interview, Williams stated, "It was all my fault, and I just didn’t take care of my marriage."

Following the Sabich trial, Longet’s parents filed a $1.3-million civil suit against her, which was settled out of court two years later. The settlement included a provision that Longet never discuss or write about the killing or the settlement. Longet eventually married her defense attorney, Ronald D. Austin, in 1985.

Longet largely withdrew from the public eye in later years. Her last known public appearance occurred in 2003 via a voice-over for an A&E Biography program about Andy Williams, where she remarked, "To this day people stop me in the street and say how much they loved the Christmas show."