Singer embroiled in 1970s shooting scandal dies aged 84

EntertainmentLifestyle
15 May 2026 • 6:40 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Singer embroiled in 1970s shooting scandal dies aged 84

  • Claudine Longet, the French singer and actor who made headlines in the 1970s for fatally shooting her Olympian boyfriend, has died at the age of 84.
  • Longet was known for her music, including the album Claudine, and her role in the 1968 film The Party alongside Peter Sellers.
  • In 1976, she shot and killed her then-boyfriend, Olympic skier Vladimir 'Spider' Sabich, at their home in Aspen, Colorado, claiming that the Luger pistol fired accidentally.
  • Her highly publicised trial resulted in a conviction for negligent homicide, for which she received two years' probation, a $250 fine, and 30 days in jail.
  • The incident effectively ended her career in entertainment; she later married her defence attorney, Ron Austin, and settled a lawsuit that prohibited her from discussing the case.

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