For generations of Americans, Jaye P. Morgan was one of those unforgettable entertainers who seemed to be everywhere.

You might have heard her voice on the radio in the 1950s.

You might remember her sitting beside Johnny Carson.

Or perhaps you remember her best from the wonderfully unpredictable days of The Gong Show.

Now, one of television’s most colorful personalities is gone.

Jaye P. Morgan died August 24 at the age of 94.

Her longtime attorney and friend Mark Sendroff confirmed that Morgan died of natural causes in Longview, Washington, where she had been living with her nephew and niece.

But Morgan’s story began long before millions of Americans knew her from television.

Born Mary Margaret Morgan in Colorado in 1931, she entered show business remarkably early. At just three years old, she was already performing as part of her family’s traveling vaudeville act.

By the 1950s, Morgan had become one of America’s successful female recording artists.

Her biggest songs included “That’s All I Want From You” and “The Longest Walk,” both of which reached the Top 10. In 1955 alone, she had five hit records.

Soon, television came calling.

Morgan eventually received her own program, The Jaye P. Morgan Show, and became a familiar presence on American television.

Longtime viewers may especially remember her appearances with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, along with visits to programs hosted by Merv Griffin, Dick Cavett and Mike Douglas.

But another generation would remember her for something very different.

Beginning in 1976, Morgan became one of the celebrity judges on Chuck Barris’ The Gong Show.

Alongside personalities such as Jamie Farr and Rip Taylor, Morgan helped turn the bizarre talent competition into one of the most unpredictable programs on television.

She wasn’t simply judging the acts.

Her humor, reactions and willingness to join in the madness made her part of the show.

Morgan later said she genuinely enjoyed those wild years.

Her television résumé stretched far beyond The Gong Show. She appeared on programs including The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, The Odd Couple and The Muppet Show.

She also appeared in movies including The All-American Boy, The Gong Show Movie and George Clooney’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

Yet for longtime fans, Morgan represented something bigger than a list of credits.

She belonged to an era when singers moved effortlessly between radio, nightclubs, variety shows, talk shows and game shows — and audiences felt as though they knew the personalities appearing in their living rooms every week.

Morgan could sing beautifully one moment and have an audience laughing the next.

That’s why her passing feels like another goodbye to a very different period of American entertainment.

She is survived by her son, Paul Kane.

Jaye P. Morgan was 94 years old.

And for those who remember turning on the television and never knowing exactly what she might say or do next, that unmistakable personality won’t easily be forgotten.