Claudine Longet, the French starlet who fatally shot Olympic skier Spider Sabich, dies at 84
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Claudine Longet, the French-born star and ex-wife of crooner Andy Williams who became notorious for the fatal shooting of Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, has died.She was 84.Her death was confirmed by her nephew, Bryan Longet, who posted a social media tribute on Thursday.
Translated from French by The Times, he wrote, “You have been a true inspiration in my life and you will always be....
Another star in the sky.Thank you for everything, my aunt.”Born in Paris on Jan.
29, 1942, Longet was the daughter of a doctor and an X-ray manufacturer.From a young age, she showed a knack for singing and dancing and envisioned her name on the marquee.
In 1960, when she turned 18, American impresario Lou Walters (father of Barbara Walters) saw Longet dancing on French television and hired the ingénue to join the Tropicana casino’s flashy new production.She bid Paris adieu and sashayed to Las Vegas, where she starred in the Folies Bergère revue.While working as a showgirl in Sin City, Longet met then-fellow Vegas performer Andy Williams one evening when her car broke down on the side of the road.
Williams happened to be passing by as the young dancer was pushing her car down the highway with a friend, and Williams along with his manager stopped to help and was quickly charmed.The two were married on Christmas Day the following year, in 1961.
In 1962, Williams released “Moon River,” and the crooner’s career took off.The newlyweds left Las Vegas and moved into an oceanfront mansion in Malibu where they started a family, and over the next several years welcomed daughter Noelle and sons Christian and Robert, or “Bobby,” who was named after the couple’s close friend Robert F.
Kennedy.Also in 1962, Williams’ eponymous variety show debuted and quickly became a hit.
Longet was a regular on the show, and the family-oriented Christmas TV specials, often featuring ...