Adam Wade, Singer and History-Making Game Show Host, Dies at 87

Wade was the first Black host of a network game show and had three consecutive Billboard Top 10 hits

By
Kelly Wynne
Kelly Wynne
Kelly Wynne

Kelly Wynne has been a TV writer at PEOPLE digital since 2021. Her work has been seen in Newsweek, where she acted as a reality TV and true-crime writer, Atwood Magazine and her mental health blog, The Chronically.

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Published on July 13, 2022 01:11PM EDT
Adam Wade
Photo: Getty Images

Adam Wade, the first Black host of a televised game show, has died at 87.

His wife, Jeree Wade, confirmed Adam's death to The New York Times on Wednesday, sharing that his death resulted from "complications of Parkinson's Disease."

Wade had a successful career in music before he ventured into television. In 1961, he had three consecutive Billboard top 10 hits for his songs "Take Good Care of Her," "The Writing on the Wall" and "As If I Didn't Know."

When Wade began hosting the daily afternoon game show Musical Chairs on CBS in 1975, he was the first Black man to host a game show on any network, something the New York Times referred to as breaking "the color line" in a 1975 article.

The show only aired for five months before its cancellation and garnered some controversy from racist viewers.

"I'm sure [the show's producers] hid some of the letters from me so I wouldn't get upset," Adam said in a 2014 interview with PBS affiliate the Connecticut Public. "One I did see was from a guy who used all kinds of expletives, saying he didn't want his wife sitting at home watching the Black guy hand out the money and the smarts."

Despite the backlash and early cancellation, Wade told the NYT Musical Chairs "probably added 30 years to my career."

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Among Wade's other credits, he acted in the 1982 film Kiss Me Goodbye and 1979 television series The Super Globetrotters. His last acting role was Reverend Lovejoy in the 2020 film Drug Affected.

Wade's music was also used for the soundtrack for a handful of films, including Brother on the Run, A Bronx Tale and Speedway Junkie.

Wade is survived by Jeree, his wife of 33 years, and their children Jamel Wade, 61, and Patrice L. Wade, 64, as well as son Sheldon W. Wade, 65, whom he shared with first wife Kay A. Wade.