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Singer and actor Adam Wade passed away on July 7 at the age of 87. His wife confirmed that he died at his home in Montclair, New Jersey after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Wade gained recognition for his stint as the host of the CBS game show Musical Chairs, and he was the first black game show host in the United States.
Additional details on his funeral are yet to be revealed.
Everything known about Adam Wade
Born on March 17, 1935, Adam Wade was raised by his grandparents. He grew up in the East Liberty neighborhood and attended Westinghouse High School. Following his graduation in 1952, he attended Virginia State University but dropped out in his sophomore year.
Wade initially worked as a lab assistant with Dr. Jonas Salk on the polio research team. He then signed with Coed Records in 1959 and by early 1960, he had released his first hit, Ruby, a cover of a 1953 hit movie song.
Wade became popular during the early 1960s and three of his songs topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He then released two albums at the time – Adam and Evening and Adam Wade One Is A Lovely Number followed by an EP, And Then Came Adam.
Adam’s vocal style was compared to Johnny Mathis but his style was similar to Nat King Cole, a singer from an earlier period.
Other than being the first African-American to host a television game show, he also hosted the talk show Mid-Morning LA. Wade appeared in a stage production of Guys and Dolls in 1978 and in a production of Same Time, Next Year in 1979.
Wade then appeared in several soap operas like The Guiding Light and Search for Tomorrow. He was also a part of sitcoms like Sanford & Son, The Jeffersons, What’s Happening!! and Good Times.
Between late 1970s and early 1980s, he started to focus only on acting and appeared in many blaxploitation movies like Gordon’s War.
He later returned to recording and went on to produce a self-titled album on the Kirschner record label, distributed by Columbia Records. Although the album was a moderate success, it was loved by his fans.
He appeared on an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard. The actor made his last appearance in theater in 2008 with the play The Color Purple.
Adam owns a music production firm, Songbird, with his wife and they are headquartered in New Jersey.
Netizens pay tribute on Twitter
Adam Wade has gained recognition for his appearances on television as well as for his successful albums. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about Wade’s demise. Some of them spoke about his work while stating that he would be missed.
Wade is survived by his wife Jeree Wade, children Ramel, Patrice, Jamel and Latoya, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
