HISTORIC game show host, Adam Wade passed away at the age of 87, according to his family.
Wade, the first Black person to host a network game show, passed away on July 7 at his New Jersey home, his wife confirmed.
Musical Chairs was a short-lived game show on CBS, which first aired in 1975 that Wade hosted.
Some affiliates refused to air the show and Wade said in 2014 that he received hate mail from viewers.
“I’m sure [the show’s producers] hid some of the letters from me, so I wouldn’t get upset,” he told Connecticut Public Radio.
“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.”
Most read in The Sun
Only 95 episodes of the show were produced before its cancellation, however, Wade said it helped his career.
“It’s crazy. You’re nobody, and then you’re somebody, and then you’re nobody before you snap your fingers.”
Born in Pittsburgh on March 17, 1935, Wade attended Virginia State University but dropped out in his sophomore year.
He wouldn’t complete his degree until he was 60 years old, fulfilling a promise he made to his grandmother when he graduated from Brooklyn College and Lehman College.
Wade began making music in 1959 with hits such as Ruby, Take Good Care of Her, The Writing on the Wall and As If I Didn’t Know.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that Wade turned to acting after gaining a role in Shaft in 1971.
He also acted in Across 110th Street and the 1974 film Claudine with James Earl Jones and Diahann Carroll.
Wade acted in television as well, in roles on Good Times, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Jeffersons, True Blue and Law & Order.
Wade is survived by his wife, Jeree, their four children Ramel, Patrice, Jamel and Layoya; and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
More to follow…For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online.
The-sun.com is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheUSSun.
