NEW YORK (AP) — Jaye P. Morgan, one of the top female recording artists of the 1950s with five hits in 1955 alone, including “That’s All I Want From You,” and who later became a frequent talk show guest and game show panelist, infamously taking off her shirt on “The Gong Show,” has died. She was 94.

Morgan died Monday of natural causes in Longview, Washington, said Mark Sendroff, longtime attorney and friend. She had been living with her nephew and niece, Duke Morgan Spencer and Peggy Sue Spencer.

Morgan’s Top 10 hits were “That’s All I Want From You” and “The Longest Walk.” Her Top 20 hits were “Danger! Heartbreak Ahead,” “If You Don’t Want My Love” and “Pepper-Hot Baby.” She also had two Top 20 hits with Perry Como, “Chee Chee-Oo Chee (Sang the Little Bird)” and “Two Lost Souls,” and a hit with Eddy Arnold called “Mutual Admiration Society” that reached No. 47 on the Billboard singles chart.

Later she would become a regular guest on “The Tonight Show” and make appearances with Merv Griffin, Dick Cavett and Mike Douglas as well as spots on “Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island.” But it was her years hamming it up as a celebrity judge — along with Jamie Farr and Rip Taylor — on the chaotic “The Gong Show” starting in 1976 that cemented her fame.

On the show, amateur performers tried out their acts, and when one of the judges couldn’t stand it anymore, they smashed a gong, ending the proceedings. Whichever performer won the day’s show received a check for the random amount of $516.32.

On one episode, Eugene Patton — the dancing stagehand performing as Gene Gene the Dancing Machine — started his thing when Morgan opened her shirt to expose her breasts, helping bring an end to the show’s run on NBC in 1978.

“It paid good money, and it was great exposure. I really enjoyed it,” she told the Los Angeles Times in 1992.

“Jaye P. Morgan’s devil-may-care ad libs on television game shows have probably made her more famous as a personality than as a singer,” The New York Times wrote in 1984. “But the same kooky recklessness that inspires Miss Morgan’s remarks is also a part of her musical sensibility.”

Her film credits include “The All-American Boy” with Jon Voight, “Loose Shoes,” “The Gong Show Movie,” “Night Patrol” and the 2002 Miramax release “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” directed by George Clooney.

Morgan was born Mary Margaret Morgan in a log cabin in Mancos, Colorado, and her show business career started early. At the age of 3, she was part of the Morgan Family, a traveling vaudeville act that included her mother, her father, her sister and five brothers. The group disbanded after their father’s death in 1945.

Morgan was class treasurer of her California high school and her peers nicknamed her J.P. after the 19th century financier J.P. Morgan. She later feminized it by changing the initial J to Jaye.

But by the time she was 17, she was singing professionally again, and in 1950 she joined Frank De Vol’s orchestra, singing with it for three years.

Her recording career got underway via “Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries” and “Just a Gigolo” with De Vol on a small label, Derby Records, that reached No. 26 on the Billboard chart. That led RCA Records to come calling with a recording contract.

She was a regular on the Robert Q. Lewis national daytime variety TV show and the nighttime game show “Stop the Music” hosted by Bert Parks. In 1954, DownBeat magazine’s annual DJ poll crowned her best new female singer of the year. She took her nightclub act on the road and made her Las Vegas debut at the New Frontier Hotel & Casino.

Morgan even got her own TV show in 1956 — “The Jaye P. Morgan Show,” which featured four of her brothers. Her solo albums include “Jaye P. Morgan” — produced by Davis Foster — “Jay P. Morgan Lately!” and a joint album with Kaye Ballard called “Long Time Friends.”

An appearance on “The Tonight Show” opened up a career for her on television talk shows and she kept returning to Johnny Carson for five years. “I take my body everyplace I go,” she joked to the host in a 1972 episode. She also was a guest on “The Odd Couple” playing herself and singing their goofy song “Happy, Peppy and Bursting with Love.”

During one memorable episode of “The Muppet Show,” Morgan appeared in a bird costume and seemed unhappy she was there at all. When Kermit tells her it’s a thrill to have her on, she replies: “I’m really indifferent about being here.” Kermit is aghast, calling the opening number cute. “I hate cute,” replies Morgan.

Other Morgan credits include a role in “Home Alone 2,” with Macaulay Culkin, appearances on “Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island,” and co-starring with Eddie Bracken in the national tour of “Sugar Babies.”

Married and divorced three times, Morgan is survived by a son, Paul Kane.

Neil Sedaka, the singer-songwriter behind dozens of hits such as “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” and “Laugher in the Rain,” died on February 27, 2026. He was 86. Sedaka teamed with lyricist Howard Greenfield on songs that reflected the teen innocence of the post-Elvis/pre-Beatles era of the late 1950s-early 1960s, including “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen,” “Calendar Girl” and “Oh! Carol.”

Robert Carradine, the "Revenge of the Nerds" star who hailed from one of Hollywood's prominent acting families, died on February 23, 2026. He was 71. Carradine earned a generation of new fans by playing the father in “Lizzie McGuire” and also had a prominent role in the Oscar-decorated “Coming Home” (1978) and appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” (2012).

Eric Dane, the actor best known for his roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” and who later in life became an advocate for ALS awareness, died on February 19, 2026. He was 53. Dane developed a devoted fanbase when he was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan, aka McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” a role he would play from 2006 until 2012 and reprise in 2021. In April 2025, Dane announced he had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body.

Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose two presidential runs in the 1980s set the stage for today’s progressive movement, died on February 17, 2026. He was 84.

He participated in marches from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama and established a branch of the Martin Luther King Jr.-led Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Chicago. He was later appointed to lead SCLC’s economic arm, Operation Breadbasket.

Robert Duvall, an acclaimed and prolific actor celebrated for his complex, rugged roles in films like “The Godfather,” died on February 15, 2026. He was 95. Duvall’s career spanned six decades, during which he accumulated many directing, producing and acting credits. He continued to work until late in his life, acting alongside Martin Sheen in 2021’s “12 Mighty Orphans,” a film about a football team at an orphanage in 1930s Texas, and appearing in 2002’s “Hustle.”

James Van Der Beek, star of the iconic teen drama series "Dawson’s Creek" in the late ’90s and early 2000s, died on February 11, 2026. He was 48. Van Der Beek had announced in November 2024 that he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

He participated in theater in middle school, and at 16, he made his professional debut off-Broadway in Edward Albee’s “Finding The Sun.” The next year, he made his feature film debut in the coming-of-age comedy “Angus.” He also starred in “Mercy,” “CSI: Cyber” and most recently “Overcompensating.” His film credits include “Varsity Blues,” “Bad Hair” and “The Rules of Attraction.”

Terrance Gore, who was part of World Series championship teams as a speedy bench weapon, died on February 6, 2026. He was 34. He played in 11 postseason games as a pinch runner, stealing five bases in six attempts and scoring three runs. He was a part of a championship team with the Royals (2015), who drafted him with a 20th-round selection in 2011, the Los Angeles Dodgers (2020) and the Atlanta Braves (2021).

Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen died on February 6, 2026. He was 91. He topped 3,000 yards in a season five times, including twice with Philadelphia, in an era before rules changes opened up NFL offenses. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and remains the only Washington player to wear the No. 9 jersey in a game.

Beloved comic actor Catherine O'Hara, best known for her roles in “Schitt’s Creek,” “Home Alone,” “Best in Show” and countless other comedies, died on January 30, 2026. O’Hara, a two-time Emmy Award winner, was 71. O’Hara got her start in 1974 performing with The Second City, an improv comedy troupe with an outpost in Toronto, then joined the group’s spinoff production SCTV.

Veteran rock musician Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead’s rhythm guitarist who helped guide the legendary jam band, died on January 10, 2026. He was 78. It was Weir who sang the verses on the band’s trademark boogie anthem, “Truckin’,” and who wrote such key songs as “Sugar Magnolia,” “Playing in the Band” and “Jack Straw.”

Republican Doug LaMalfa, a seven-term U.S. representative from California and a reliable vote on Trump’s agenda, died on January 6, 2026. He was 65. LaMalfa was first elected to Congress in 2012 and represented Northern California’s 1st District, along the Oregon border, including Redding and reaching just north of Sacramento.

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.