Adam Wade, who had three consecutive Top 10 hits on the Billboard chart in 1961 and broke barriers when he became the first Black host on a network game show in 1975, died on Thursday at his home in Montclair, New Jersey. He was 87.
His wife of 33 years, Jeree Wade, a singer, actress and producer, told the The New York Times that his cause of death was complications of Parkinson’s disease.
In May 1975, CBS named Wade as the host of the weekly afternoon game show, “Musical Chairs,” which was co-produced by Don Kirshner and which featured musical acts including The Spinners and Irene Cara.