Kiki Shepard Dies: Former ‘Showtime at The Apollo’ Co-Host Was 74

Kiki Shepard, the longtime co-host of Showtime at The Apollo, has died. She was 74.

Shepard passed away after suffering a heart attack in Los Angeles on Monday, March 16, her rep confirmed to Variety and TMZ.

The host, actress and dancer worked on Showtime at The Apollo from 1987 to 2002, and appeared on 97 episodes of the amateur competition series, according to her IMDb page.

Filmed at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater, the show’s rotating hosts during Shepard’s run included comedians Sinbad, Mo’Nique, Mark Curry, Rick Aviles, and Steve Harvey.

Shepard worked on Broadway, in television and film. She had roles as a dancer in The Cotton Club and A Rage in Harlem.

On television, she appeared in recurring roles on A Different World, Baywatch, Thunder in Paradise, and NYPD Blue. Her last credited parts were on the comedy series Highly Favored and Mind Your Business in 2025.

She was born Chiquita Renee Shepard in Tyler, Texas in 1951. After graduating from high school, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Howard University. While at Howard, she joined Delta Sigma Theta sorority, and became a member of the D.C. Repertory Dance Company.

After landing work on Showtime at The Apollo she found national fame.

Shepard was also a philanthropist. She founded The KIS Foundation in 2006 to raise awareness about sickle cell disease.

In a note on the organization’s website she wrote, “This journey began when I saw the effect on the family of a personal friend whose brother suffered and died as a result of this terrible disease.”