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

Mar. 15, 2025

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 toThe New York Timeson 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 consecutiveBillboardtop 10 hitsfor 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 showMusical Chairson CBS in 1975, he was the first Black man to host a game show on any network, something theNew York Timesreferred to as breaking “the color line” in a1975 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 theConnecticut 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 theNYTMusical Chairs"probably added 30 years to my career."

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Wade’s music was also used for the soundtrack for a handful of films, includingBrother on the Run,A Bronx TaleandSpeedway Junkie.

source: people.com