Claudine Longet dies at 84 years after tragic Spider Sabich case changed her life

Claudine Longet, the French-born singer and actress whose glamorous entertainment career was forever overshadowed by one of Hollywood’s most shocking scandals, has died at the age of 84.

Though once known for her music, television appearances and high-profile marriage to singer Andy Williams, Longet’s name became permanently tied to the 1976 fatal shooting of Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, a case that transformed her life and ended her career in the public eye. Her death was confirmed on Thursday by her nephew, Bryan Longet, who paid tribute to the late star on social media. 

From rising entertainer to household name

Born in Paris in 1942, Longet moved to the United States as a teenager after being recruited to perform in Las Vegas as a dancer.

Her life changed again after a chance encounter with entertainer Andy Williams, who reportedly stopped to help when her car broke down. The pair married in 1961 and became one of entertainment’s recognisable couples during the height of Williams’ television fame.

Longet regularly appeared on The Andy Williams Show and family Christmas specials, while also building a career of her own through acting and music. Between the late 1960s and early 1970s, she released several albums known for their soft, breathy vocals and appeared in projects including the 1968 comedy film The Party. 

The case that changed everything

By the mid-1970s, Longet’s marriage to Williams had ended and she had begun a relationship with Sabich, a charismatic Olympic skier she met at a celebrity ski event.

The couple settled in Aspen, Colorado, where tragedy struck in March 1976.

Sabich died after being shot in the abdomen at the home he shared with Longet. The entertainer insisted the shooting had been accidental, later telling authorities she believed the gun’s safety mechanism had been engaged and had been asking Sabich how the weapon worked.

The case quickly became one of the most closely watched celebrity trials of the decade. Longet was charged with reckless manslaughter but, after a high-profile court battle in 1977, she was acquitted of the felony charge and convicted instead of negligent homicide, a misdemeanour. She ultimately served 30 days in jail. Throughout the trial, Williams publicly stood by his former wife, later saying he believed the shooting had been an accident. 

The scandal permanently altered Longet’s public image and effectively ended her entertainment career. In the years that followed, the case inspired references in pop culture, including a Saturday Night Live sketch and the Rolling Stones song ‘Claudine’. 

Longet later married attorney Ron Austin in 1985 and largely retreated from public life, spending time in Colorado and Hawaii. More than four decades after the Sabich case, it remained the chapter that continued to define public memory of a once-rising star.