Claudine Longet, 1942 – 2026

Actress, singer, and convicted killer Claudine Longet, 84, has died, her family announced on May 14. The native Parisienne married singer Andy Williams (from 1961-75), and with her move to to US, and was soon doing bits on TV (McHale’s Navy, Dr. Kildare, Hogan’s Heroes, Laugh-In, Alias Smith and Jones); she also frequently appeared on her husband’s variety show. She also had some success as a soft-pop singer. In 1976 Longet was found guilty of negligent homicide in the shooting death of her boyfriend, Olympic skier Vladimir "Spider" Sabich, in Aspen. That same year, Saturday Night Live did a vicious, hilarious sketch about skiers at “The Claudine Longet Invitational Ski Tournament,” in which all the wipe-outs “were accidentally shot by Claudine Longet.” Longet threatened a lawsuit, and SNL had to issue its first-ever apology. She kept a low profile after the trial.