Kiki Shepard Passed Away!

The beautiful Kiki Shepard passed away from a massive heart attack.

The longtime co host of Showtime at the Apollo has passed away.

You remember Kiki Shepard for being the lovely Black woman who often judges the performers who appear on the Apollo stage during its talent show. 

She co hosted with Rick Aviles, Sinbad, Steve Harvey and Mark Curry.

Shepard (born Chiquita Renee Shepard) was an American television host, best known as the co-host of Showtime at the Apollo from 1987 to 2002.

Shepard was honored at the International Women's Day Gospel Brunch on March 8, 2026, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Shepard died on March 16, from a massive heart attack in Los Angeles, at the age of 74.

Shepard died on March 16, her representative confirmed to TMZ and Variety. USA TODAY has reached out to Shepard's representative.

From 1987 to 2002, Shepard co-hosted "Showtime at the Apollo," a long-running variety show filmed at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Known as the "Apollo Queen of Fashion," Shepard was celebrated for her onstage style alongside main hosts like Steve Harvey, Sinbad, and Mark Curry. She also had career stints as an actress and dancer.

Shepard and her two sisters grew up as baton twirlers, majorettes, and dancers. Her parents were former competitive dancers before becoming teachers in Tyler, according to a 1994 article in The Tyler Courier-Times.

She went on to graduate from Howard University in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor's degree in business administration, according to her nonprofit organization, The KIS Foundation.

While in college, Shepard was a member of the D.C. Repertory Dance Company and joined the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, according to the Chula-Vista Star News, Tyler Courier-Times and The KIS Foundation.

Shepard began her career in theatre productions in Washington, D.C. and New York and danced at the 1977 Academy Awards, according to the Chula-Vista Star News. She also danced on Broadway for ten years alongside stars like Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, she said in a 2023 appearance on "Sherri."

During her time on "Showtime at the Apollo," Shepard made her foray into television, appearing on shows like "Baywatch," "Sirens" and "Thunder in Paradise," according to The Tyler Courier-Times. She later hosted the weekly talent show "Live in Hollywood."