Kiki Shepard, legendary "Showtime at the Apollo" host, has died

Kiki Shepard, best known as the co-host of the classic music variety series “Showtime at the Apollo,” has died at 74.

Kiki Shepard on “Sherri” in 2023. YouTube.

Kiki Shepard, best known as the co-host of the classic music variety series “Showtime at the Apollo,” has died. She was 74.

A representative for Shepard told TMZ that the host died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Monday. Variety also confirmed the news.

​”Kiki was more than a cultural icon and the soul of Showtime at the Apollo; she was my sister in spirit. Our bond was forged over four decades, anchored by our shared Texas roots and a friendship that remained unbreakable through every season of life,” hairstylist and friend Elgin Charles said in a social media post.

Born Chiquita Renee Shepard in Tyler, Texas, Shepard began her career as a professional dancer in 1971. While studying at Howard University, she joined the D.C. Repertory Dance Company.

She was best known as the longtime co-host of the legendary “Showtime at the Apollo,” on which she appeared alongside Steve Harvey, Mark Curry, Sinbad, Mo’Nique, and others for years.

Shepard credited the late Percy Sutton, executive producer of the series and attorney for Malcolm X, with believing she was the right fit for the hosting gig.

“People were calling every day asking to audition, but Percy Sutton said, ‘No, as long as KiKi Shepard wants this job, she will keep it because she shows other little black girls all around the country what they can be.’ And he appreciated the fact that I did it in a very classy manner,” she told WJBF NewsChannel 6 in April.

She also has a host of television appearances, including on “Everybody Hates Chris,” “A Different World,” “Baywatch,” “NYPD Blue,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and more.

Shepard also devoted her life to improving the lives of those living with sickle cell disease. In 2006, she founded The KIS Foundation to raise awareness and educate the public about the disease.