Legendary Singer And Actress Dead At 101

Jane Morgan, the elegant voice behind “Fascination” and a staple of both American television and Broadway stages, died peacefully in her sleep on August 4 in Naples, Florida. She was 101.

“Our beloved Jane passed away peacefully in her sleep,” her family shared in a statement with Deadline. Born Florence Catherine Currier on May 3, 1924, in Newton, Massachusetts, Morgan was raised in a musical family—her parents, Bertram and Olga, were both musicians.

Her early promise in music took root during childhood performances at the Kennebunkport Playhouse in Maine. After high school, she attended Juilliard in New York to study opera, supporting herself by performing at nightclubs and private events.

Her stage name, “Jane Morgan,” was given to her by bandleader Art Mooney, who combined the names of two performers he admired.

LOS ANGELES – MAY 6: Jane Morgan, Jerry Weintraub at a ceremony where Jane Morgan is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, CA on May 6, 2011.

Morgan’s career took off overseas when she was invited to Paris in 1948 by French impresario Bernard Hilda. She flourished on the Parisian cabaret circuit and signed recording contracts with European labels such as Polydor, Parlophone, and Philips.

Her multilingual performances and European flair made her a standout across the continent. By the mid-1950s, Morgan returned to the United States and made a lasting impression with her debut American album, The American Girl from Paris, in 1956.

The following year, she recorded the haunting waltz “Fascination,” which became her signature song and reached No. 7 on the Billboard chart. The track was also featured in the Audrey Hepburn film Love in the Afternoon (1957).

Morgan went on to score additional hits, including “The Day the Rains Came”—sung in both English and French—and “Blue Hawaii.” She earned six gold records over her career and was a familiar face to American audiences, appearing more than 50 times on The Ed Sullivan Show and performing twice at the Academy Awards. She also sang for heads of state, including French President Charles de Gaulle and U.S. Presidents from John F. Kennedy to George H. W. Bush.

Her success wasn’t confined to records and television. Morgan graced the Broadway stage in productions like Can-Can, Kiss Me Kate, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The King and I, Mame, and Ziegfeld Follies of 1957. Reflecting on her Broadway experience, Morgan once said, “Being on Broadway was one of the most exciting things in my life because I had always dreamed of it.”

LOS ANGELES – MAY 6: Jane Morgan at a ceremony where Jane Morgan is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, CA on May 6, 2011.

In her personal life, Morgan married famed Hollywood producer and talent agent Jerry Weintraub in 1965. The couple adopted three daughters. Though they separated in the 1980s, they remained legally married until his death in 2015.

Morgan stepped away from full-time performing in 1973, but she occasionally returned to the spotlight. Notably, she appeared under her married name, Jane Weintraub, at a 2009 UNICEF Ball honoring her husband. Behind the scenes, she contributed to Weintraub’s productions, including work on the 2001 remake of Ocean’s Eleven.

In 2011, Morgan was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Rather than give a speech, she marked the moment by performing “Fascination.”