Kiki Shepard has died at the age of 74.
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A rep for the co-host of Showtime at the Apollo confirmed her death on Monday, March 16. Variety reports that she died from a heart attack.
Kiki Shepard Helped Introduce New Talent
Shepard co-hosted Showtime at the Apollo from 1987 to 2002. During her decade and a half on the show, she co-hosted with a who's who of comedic talent. Steve Harvey, Sinbad, Mo'Nique, Rudy Rush, Mark Curry, and Rick Aviles were among the names who would take the stage with Shepard.
Long before American Idol and The Voice dominated prime-time television, both professional and up-and-coming musical acts performed at the iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem, where the show was filmed. Some of those performers include Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo.
Shepherd's polished style also earned her the title of the "Apollo Queen of Fashion." Her high-minded elegance on the show was so beloved that she was immortalized in the Outkast hit, "So Fresh, So Clean."
Shepherd Was Also an Actress
Shepard was born in Tyler, Texas, in July 1951. After high school, she attended Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington, D.C.
It was during her time at Howard that she discovered her love of performing. She became a charter member of the D.C. Repertory Dance Company. In 1976, she acted at the Delacourt Summer Shakesperian Festival in New York.
Shepard began to make her mark on the stage in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She starred in several Broadway productions. They include "Bubbling Brown Sugar," "Comin' Uptown," "Reggae," "Your Arms Too Short to Box With God," and "Porgy and Bess."
In addition to her prominent role on Showtime at the Apollo, Shepard's career flourished as she made appearances on television and the silver screen.
She had roles on "A Different World," "Baywatch," "Thunder in Paradise," "NYPD Blue," and "Family Law." More recently, she appeared on "Highly Favored," "Mind Your Business," and "Grey's Anatomy."
She also starred in the films "A Rage in Harlem," "Miss Evers' Boys," "Dolls of Voodoo," and "Blackjack Christmas."
