The city of New Orleans is mourning the death of beloved news anchor Nancy Parker, who died in a tragic plane crash on Friday while reporting a story for her longtime station WVUE Fox 8. She was 53.
According to the station, Parker was on a stunt plane working on a story alongside Franklin J.P. Augustus, a well-known Black stunt pilot who also died in the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration is conducting an investigation into the crash.
“Today we mourn the loss of our longtime colleague and friend Nancy Parker,” WVUE, Parker’s station for 23 years, said in a statement. “Details have not been released by authorities, but we can confirm she passed away in a plane crash while covering a story at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport.”
“Today we lost a wonderful journalist and remarkable friend, the New Orleans television community lost a true treasure, but beyond that, her family lost a wife, a mother and daughter,” said FOX 8 Vice President and General Manager Tim Ingram, according to WDSU. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
“Nancy was a part of the FOX 8 family for the last 23 years, she put her heart and soul into her work, covering thousands of stories and touching countless lives,” Ingram added. “She made a difference in the lives of those she reported on. She will be sorely missed, and her absence creates a void that cannot be filled.”
The ESSENCE family interacted with Parker whenever the Festival was in session in New Orleans. Entertainment Director Cori Murray remembered the journalist as “a real treasure.”
“Although I interacted only with Nancy Parker doing promotions for Essence Fest, she had a way of making you feel she knew you forever. Her reporting was personal and inquisitive, which made you feel like you were talking with a friend,” Murray said.
“Also I loved hearing about her days reporting from Essence Fest and how it was a moment she enjoyed as a reporter and a NOLA native. Our sister city has lost a real treasure.”
Parker leaves behind her three kids and husband Glen Boyd.