Adam Wade, Singer, Actor and First Black Game Show Host on Network TV, Dies at 87

Courtesy Everett Collection
Gameshow pioneer Adam Wade in 1975. 

Adam Wade, a prolific musician and actor who became the first Black game show host on network television in 1975, is dead at 87.

Wade's family announced his passing on his official Facebook page on Thursday.

"It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing of our husband, father, brother, friend, Adam Wade," the post read. "Arrangements are being made for his memorial and we will keep you updated; it is a great loss for everyone who knew and loved him. Please keep our family in your prayers."

No cause of death was given on the post but his wife singer and actress, Jeree Wade, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that he died at his home in Montclair, NJ, of complications from Parkinson's disease.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wade followed a somewhat unusual road to stardom.

While working as a laboratory technician for Dr. Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine, he was asked to audition for a music publisher by a friend. Within a couple of years, he had left college and was recording for Coed Records full-time in Manhattan.

The talented jazz pianist crooner soon became the toast of the town, eventually earning gigs opening for the likes of Tony Bennett and comedian Joe E. Lewis at the legendary Copacabana nightclub.

By the early 1960s, Wade was on fire. Boasting a singing voice often compared to his idol Nat King Cole — whose brother Freddy he had performed with earlier ins his career — he notched three consecutive Billboard Top 10 hits that year.

The ballads “Take Good Care of Her,” which reached No. 7, “The Writing on the Wall” (No. 5) and “As If I Didn’t Know” (No. 10), made him a star but his career began to stumble late in the decade as the world's tastes in music changed.

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Undeterred Wade added acting to his entertainment portfolio and the move from behind the microphone to the front of the screen proved a fortuitous one.

Roles in television shows such as "Tarzan," "The FBI" and "Adam 12" expanded fans' perception of Wade as an entertainer. In 1971 he made the move to the big screen with a role in "Shaft." Several other movies and shows would follow, ultimately giving him the chance to be a pioneer in another industry.

In 1975 he became the first Black game show host on network television. Wade was master of ceremonies for "Musical Chairs," which was filmed at the famous Ed Sullivan Theater and ran daily on CBS.

On the show, contestants competed to complete the lyrics of songs and respond to questions about music. They were helped along by guest performers like The Spinners, Sister Sledge and Irene Cara. The controversial experiment didn't last long. The show, which some affiliates refused to carry, was canceled in less than five months.

I'm so sorry to hear the passing of actor/singer/game show host, Adam Wade.
Among his many accomplishments, he will always be the first Black American man to ever host a TV game show, "Musical Chairs."
My condolences to all whose lives he touched.https://t.co/d1v5B5hZit

— Marsha Warfield (@MarshaWarfield) July 8, 2022

His time on the show did not go unrewarded, however. Wade, who returned to recording after the stint and even understudied for Ben Vereen on Broadway in "I'm Not Rappaport" in 2002, met Jeree on the set of "Musical Chairs."

The couple, and frequent collaborators, married in 1989 and had four children.

Singer Ashanti Hopes to Uplift Children With First Book

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After finding success as a singer, songwriter and actress — Ashanti has set her eyes on conquering the literary world.

The Grammy Award-winning singer, who has sold over 27 million records, released "My Name Is a Story" today.

Inspired by her struggles as a child, the 41-year-old artist's first outing as an author is a picture book starring her younger self that aims to instill confidence in its readers.

"I wrote this book to remind children that every name is special and deserves to be honored and celebrated," she wrote on Instagram about her reasons for writing the book.

She added, " Every name tells a story. What’s in a name? Everything! Saying each other’s names correctly is one way to value and see people fully. My hope is that MY NAME IS A STORY will be an inspiration to anyone who has been made fun of because their name was different, or had their name mispronounced or not pronounced at all."

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The star dropped by the Essence Festival of Culture earlier this month to celebrate the book launch by swapping stories with and signing copies for fans. She had so much fun that the session lasted an hour longer than intended according to reporting by PEOPLE.

"The stories were like, 'I'm so glad that you're doing this because I always felt embarrassed when it was time for the teacher to call out everyone's name and she would stutter on my name,' " Ashanti told the publication about her conversations with fans. "I didn't want them to feel like that."

The book is available to order on all major platforms now. 

Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg Join Forces to Slay Vampires in 'Day Shift'

They say religion is the opiate of the masses. That may be true, but if so, entertainment is not far behind, and movies are perhaps its most effective delivery method.

There are likely several reasons "Top Gun: Maverick" clocked a billion dollars at the box office 36 years after the original, but one of them is surely the collective need for a break from reality.

In a world where global warming, class wars, political unrest and a persistent pandemic have made life — less than optimal— sometimes 120 minutes in a fantasy world is the perfect prescription for the new-millennium blues.

With that in mind, the mad doctors at Netflix may have stumbled onto this summer's best remedy for that ailment with their latest offer.

Combining the talents of two of hip-hop and R&Bs finest, "Day Shift" is a modern-day take on the vampire genre that looks better than it has any right to be if the final cut lives up to the action-packed trailer.

Tha Dogg gone Vampire Huntin. #DayShift out on @netflix August 12th 👏🏿👏🏿🍿 pic.twitter.com/lfF0F9rL8n

— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) July 11, 2022

Rap legend Snoop Dogg and Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx, who has also been nominated for eight Grammys for his musical contribution and won one, portray unionized vampire hunters in the tale. It's a twist that Starbucks' corporate is sure to hate but it provides context for the motivation of Foxx's character, who has fallen out of favor with the union and is doing jobs on the side when not cleaning pools to make ends meet. The duo is joined by Dave Franco in a role that plays to his talents as a straight-man and comic relief.

Netflix boasts the film is “from the people who taught John Wick how to kick ass" in the trailer, and the movie does have strong ties to the highly praised action trilogy.

Director JJ Perry was a second unit director and stunt coordinator whose previous credits include the John Wick franchise, and the movie was adapted from an original script by Tyler Tice that has been revised by Shay Hatten ("John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum" and "John Wick: Chapter 4").

Check out the synopsis below and watch the official trailer.

Day Shift tells the story of longtime vampire hunter Bud Jablonski (Jamie Foxx), a man whose relationship with his wife (Meagan Good) and daughter (Zion Broadnax) is somewhat strained because of his secret line of work. While Bud’s family generally goes with the story that he works as a pool cleaner, in reality, he’s one of the many vampire hunters operating around the world to take out the blood-sucking ghouls for sizable bounties. Unlike Bud, who somehow managed to get himself booted from the union in the past, hunters like Big John Elliott (Snoop Dogg) count on their membership to get paid and stay involved in the larger fight against evil.