Kiki Shepard dead: Longtime ‘Showtime at the Apollo’ co-host was 74
Kiki Shepard, the actor and entertainer best known for co-hosting the syndicated variety show “Showtime at the Apollo,” has died. She was 74. LaShirl Smith, a representative for Shepard, confirmed her client’s death, writing in an Instagram post Tuesday that the loss “hurts an awful lot.” Shepard died Monday in Los Angeles after a heart attack, Smith confirmed to TMZ. On Tuesday, Smith honored Shepard with a video collage of their shared moments over the years, lamenting she will no longer be able to speak with her friend “three/four times a day everyday at least for an hour or two.” “Rest easy cousin, heaven got a good one,” Smith said in her post. The Texas native, born in July 1951, co-hosted “Showtime at the Apollo” from 1987 to 2002. During her tenure, she shared the stage with a variety of co-hosts including Steve Harvey, Sinbad and Mo’Nique, introducing a range of musical acts at the historic theater in Harlem. The Apollo honored Shepard on its marquee Tuesday, remembering her as a “true Apollo legend.” “Together, …
