Kiki Shepard, the longstanding co-host of Showtime at the Apollo, has died aged 74.
The TV star's unexpected death happened suddenly after she suffered a massive heart attack on March 16 in Los Angeles, her representative LaShirl Smith confirmed to TMZ.
HELLO! has reached out for comment.
Kiki was best known for her work on the syndicated series Showtime at the Apollo between 1987 and 2002, and co-hosted alongside Steve Harvey, Sinbad, Mo'Nique, Mark Curry, and Rudy Rush, helping introduce both professional and aspiring performers at the Harlem theatre.
While on the show, Kiki was known as the 'Apollo Queen of Fashion' for her striking wardrobe in every episode.
Kiki was born on July 15, 1951, in Tyler, Texas, and attended Howard University, where she became a charter member of the D. C. Repertory Dance Company.
She started her career as a professional dancer; both her parents were competitive dancers, in the early 1970s, performing around the globe with several troupes, including the D.C. Repertory Dance Company. In 1976, she performed at New York's Delacourt Summer Shakesperian Festival.
© Getty ImagesIn the late 1970s and early 1980s, she turned to Broadway and appeared in ensemble roles in Bubbling Brown Sugar, Comin' Uptown, Reggae, Your Arms Too Short to Box with God, and Porgy and Bess.
Television soon became her main stage, and she made several TV appearances, guest-starring on shows including A Different World, Baywatch, NYPD Blue, Grey's Anatomy, Everybody Hates Chris, where she played herself, and several others.
Kiki also had a small uncredited part in the 1978 movie, The Wiz, as an Emerald City citizen.
© Getty ImagesThe late star also dedicated herself to raising awareness of Sickle Cell Disease after she "saw the effect on the family of a personal friend whose brother suffered and died as a result of this terrible disease," she said on The KIS Foundation website.
Through her "strong desire to combat my shared grief and sense of helplessness," she began working with the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America in 1993.
© Getty ImagesIn 2006, Kiki founded The KIS Foundation Inc. to educate, raise funds, and support families affected by the disease. "Hearing life stories of SCD patients fueled my desire to help even more. My commitment continues," she wrote.
Following the news of Kiki's sudden death, friends and fans paid tribute on social media. "Rest in peace, Kiki Shepard. A true icon of Showtime at the Apollo—she will be deeply missed," one fan posted on X.
Another said: "What a legend. May her soul rest in peace." A third added: "A piece of Black entertainment history. Showtime at the Apollo wouldn’t have been the same without her. Rest easy."
© Getty ImagesTV personality Elgin Charles said in part: "To her family, our mutual friends, and the community she served so tirelessly: we have lost a giant. Kiki represented the very best of us, and while her physical presence is gone, her legacy as a champion for our people and a loyal friend will never fade.
"Rest in power, my sweet friend. You are forever loved and will be profoundly missed."
