Adam Wade obit

Singer Patrick Henry Wade had died

He was not on the list.

Wade was an American singer, musician and actor. Wade was perhaps most known for his stint as the host of the CBS game show Musical Chairs (1975), which noted him as the first Black game show host.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, to Pauline Simpson and Henry Oliver Wade, Jr., Wade was raised by his grandparents. Wade grew up in the East Liberty neighborhood and attended Westinghouse High School; graduating in 1952. After high school, Wade attended Virginia State University but dropped out in his sophomore year.

After working for a time as a lab assistant with Dr. Jonas Salk on the polio research team, Wade began to pursue a recording career, signing with Coed Records in late 1959. He had his first hit in early 1960 (No. 58) with the song "Ruby", a cover of the hit movie song of 1953.

Wade was popular in the early-1960s. In 1961 three of his recordings ("Take Good Care of Her" (No. 7), "As If I Didn't Know" (No. 10) and "The Writing on the Wall" (No. 5)) made the Top Ten in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. These songs also made the Top Five of Billboard's Easy Listening survey. Wade released the following albums in the United Kingdom: Adam and Evening in 1961 and Adam Wade One Is A Lonely Number in 1962. Wade also released an EP in 1960, And Then Came Adam. "Take Good Care of Her" reached No. 38 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1961. Wade's vocal style was generally compared to that of his contemporary Johnny Mathis. But it was actually a singer from an earlier period, Nat King Cole, who was his principal influence. In a Connecticut Public Radio interview, Wade said: "My father introduced me to Nat’s music when I was a kid. He was my idol since high school."

In 1975, Wade become the first African-American to host a television game show, with the premiere of Musical Chairs. He starred in a stage production of Guys and Dolls in 1978, and hosted the talk show Mid-Morning LA. In 1979, he co-starred with Della Reese in a production of Same Time, Next Year. On TV he was seen in the soap operas The Guiding Light and Search for Tomorrow, and was a familiar presence on such popular black-oriented sitcoms as Sanford & Son, The Jeffersons, What's Happening!! and Good Times. His handsome face lit up the room and allowed his natural mannerism to take over the scene. In the late–1970s and early–1980s Wade began to concentrate on acting, and appeared in several of the so-called blaxploitation movies, including Gordon's War.

Wade briefly returned to recording, producing a self–titled album on the Kirschner record label, which was distributed by Columbia Records. This was a venture into a more soulful singing genre. It met with moderate success but is still a favorite with his loyal fans. He appeared in one episode of The Dukes of Hazzard. His latest theatrical appearance was with the 2008 touring company of the play The Color Purple. Wade and his wife have a music production firm, Songbird, whose headquarters are in New Jersey.

Wade died at the age of 87 according to his family and friends via Facebook, in Montclair, New Jersey.

Drug Affected

Rev. Lovejoy

 2010 Drugs 101 (Short)

Preacher

 2004 Brother to Brother

Sam, the Bartender

 2004 Law & Order (TV Series)

Noah

- Darwinian (2004) ... Noah

 1998 L7: The Beauty Process (Video)

Christopher Talkin

 1990 True Blue (TV Series)

- Fire Down Below (1990)

 1982 Kiss Me Goodbye

Roscoe

 1981 Texas Lightning

Highway Patrolman

 1981 Hill Street Blues (TV Series)

Internal Affairs Officer

- Can World War III Be an Attitude? (1981) ... Internal Affairs Officer

 1979 Uptown Saturday Night (TV Movie)

Monroe Hoover

 1979 The Super Globetrotters (TV Series)

'Sweet' Lou Dunbar / Gizmo Man

- The Super Globetrotters vs. Attila the Hun (1979) ... 'Sweet' Lou Dunbar / Gizmo Man (voice)

- The Super Globetrotters vs. Merlo the Magician (1979) ... 'Sweet' Lou Dunbar / Gizmo Man (voice)

- The Super Globetrotters vs. Bullmoose (1979) ... 'Sweet' Lou Dunbar / Gizmo Man (voice)

- The Super Globetrotters vs. Transylvania Terrors (1979) ... 'Sweet' Lou Dunbar / Gizmo Man (voice)

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1979 The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (TV Series)

Jim Benedict

- Run for the Money: Part 2 (1979) ... Jim Benedict

 1979 B.J. and the Bear (TV Series)

Jim Benedict

- Run for the Money (1979) ... Jim Benedict

 1979 The Dukes of Hazzard (TV Series)

Dr. Homer Willis

- Gold Fever (1979) ... Dr. Homer Willis

 1979 The Jeffersons (TV Series)

Dr. Greg Martin

- Three Faces of Florence (1979) ... Dr. Greg Martin

 1978 What's Happening!! (TV Series)

Marty Slade

- Shirley's Cookies (1978) ... Marty Slade

 1978 Good Times (TV Series)

Frank Mason

- Willona's New Job (1978) ... Frank Mason

- Willona's Mr. Right (1978) ... Frank Mason

 1977 Sanford Arms (TV Series)

Director

- The TV Show (1977) ... Director

 1977 Kojak (TV Series)

Roland Weeks

- I Could Kill My Wife's Lawyer (1977) ... Roland Weeks

 1976 Police Woman (TV Series)

Sgt. Dalton

- Trial by Prejudice (1976) ... Sgt. Dalton

 1976 Street Killing (TV Movie)

J.D. Johnson

 1976 Sanford and Son (TV Series)

Creely

- The Director (1976) ... Creely

 1974 Phantom of the Paradise

Reporter

 1974 Tony Orlando and Dawn (TV Series)

Regular (1976)

 1974 Nicky's World (TV Movie)

Ezra Lent

 1974 Claudine

Owen

 1974 Crazy Joe

J.D.

 1973 Gordon's War

Hustler

 1972 Across 110th Street

Patrolman

 1972 Come Back Charleston Blue

Benjy

 1971 Shaft

Brother #1

 1970 Adam-12 (TV Series)

Ron Thompson

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 1969 The F.B.I. (TV Series)

Ellis Deavers

- The Sanctuary (1969) ... Ellis Deavers

 1966 Tarzan (TV Series)

Sergeant

- End of the River (1966) ... Sergeant

 1951 Search for Tomorrow (TV Series)

John Burroughs (1970)