The Late Great Abbe Lane

Abbe Lane, the singer and actress who performed with her husband Xavier Cugat and appeared in both movies and on television, died on April 25, 2026 at the age of 93.Abbe Lane was born Abigail Francine Lassman on December 14, 1932, in Brooklyn. She was raised in Manhattan. Her show business career began when she was only four years old, and a child she appeared on both radio and in the 1938 Vitaphone short "Toyland Casino." She also did some modelling. She attended the High School of Music and Art. In 1947, billed as Abbe Marshal, she appeared on Broadway in Barefoot Boy with Cheek. The following year she appeared on Broadway in As the Girls Do, still billed as Abbe Marshall. In 1949, she was signed as a vocalist on bandleader Vincent Lopez's television show.Xavier Cugat was looking for a new vocalist when he saw Abbe Lane performing on stage. The following day he was a guest on Vincent Lopez's show, where he met Abbe Lane in person. He then hired her as his new vocalist. Abbe Lane's…