Jane Morgan, the internationally acclaimed singer known for her signature hit “Fascination” and frequent television appearances, died Monday at age 101 in Naples, Florida. Morgan was in hospice care and passed away peacefully in her sleep of natural causes, her family announced.
Born Florence Catherine Currier on May 3, 1924, in Newton, Massachusetts, Morgan was the youngest of five children. Her parents, Bertram and Olga, operated a music school and composed music. At age 11, she began acting at the Kennebunkport Playhouse in Maine before graduating from Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Morgan studied opera at Juilliard in New York, where she performed in nightclubs to help pay tuition. While there, Roseland Ballroom orchestra leader Art Mooney gave her the stage name she would use throughout her career. Her path changed when French impresario and violinist Bernard Hilda asked her to accompany him to Paris, prompting her to leave school.
In France during the late 1940s, Morgan became a sensation, singing classics by Cole Porter and George Gershwin at Hilda’s Club Des Champs Elysees. She became proficient in French and performed while wearing gowns and hats made by renowned designers including Oleg Cassini and Donald Brooks. She and Hilda even hosted their own television program.
After approximately four years in Europe, Morgan returned to the United States and signed with Dave Kapp’s Kapp Records. In 1956, she released her first two stateside albums, “The American Girl From Paris” and “Two Different Worlds,” the latter recorded with pianist Roger Williams.
Morgan’s breakthrough came in 1957 when she teamed with The Troubadors to record “Fascination,” a version of the 1905 French song featured in Billy Wilder’s film “Love in the Afternoon,” starring Audrey Hepburn and Gary Cooper. The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard pop chart and earned her a spot on “American Bandstand.” She followed with another Top 40 hit in 1958, “The Day the Rains Came,” recorded in both English and French.
Throughout her career, Morgan recorded approximately 40 albums and sang in five languages, establishing herself as a true international star. She became a television mainstay, appearing dozens of times on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and serving as a recurring guest on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show,” Perry Como’s “Kraft Music Hall,” and “The Hollywood Palace.” She also appeared on programs hosted by Jackie Gleason, Jack Benny, Andy Williams, Johnny Cash, Dean Martin, Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas.
Morgan hosted three network television specials: two in 1959 and one in 1968. She also acted on episodes of “Peter Gunn” in 1961 and “It Takes a Thief” in 1970. At the Academy Awards, she performed “The Second Time Around” from “High Time” in 1961, then returned in 1966 with Michel Legrand to perform “I Will Wait for You” from “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.”
On Broadway, Morgan starred in “Mame” in 1968, following Angela Lansbury and Janis Paige in the original production. She expressed that being on Broadway was one of the most exciting experiences of her life because she had always dreamed of it. Her stage career also included productions of “Can Can,” “Kiss Me Kate,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “The King and I,” “Bells Are Ringing,” “Anniversary Waltz,” “Affairs of State” and “Ziegfeld Follies.”
In 1970, Morgan recorded “A Girl Named Johnny Cash,” a parody of Cash’s classic “A Boy Named Sue” written by Martin Mull. The song spent five weeks on Billboard’s Country chart. She also performed for French President Charles de Gaulle and U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush, for whom she served as a member of the Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
In 1962, Morgan found a new manager in Jerry Weintraub, who worked with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, John Denver and Led Zeppelin. She married Weintraub in 1965, becoming stepmother to his son Michael. The couple adopted three daughters: Julie, Jamie and Jody. In 1973, Morgan retired to focus on family life, though she continued occasional special appearances.
Morgan and Weintraub separated in the 1980s but never divorced, later reconciling before his death in 2015. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2011, where she performed “Fascination” during the ceremony. In 2022, more than 30 of her sequined, beaded couture gowns were displayed in New York.
Morgan is survived by her stepson Michael, adopted daughters Jamie and Jody, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Her adopted daughter Julie preceded her in death. The family has requested that donations in her memory be made to the Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology at UCLA.
