Nancy Parker, a longtime anchor and reporter at WVUE FOX 8 in New Orleans, was killed Friday while shooting a story in a stunt plane that crashed.
Flight instructor and stunt pilot Franklin Augustus, 69, also died.
According to Fox 8’s website, the small plane went down about a half-mile from New Orleans Lakefront Airport and burst into flames. The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Today we lost a wonderful journalist and remarkable friend,” Fox 8 Vice President and General Manager Tim Ingram said in a statement. “The New Orleans television community lost a true treasure, but beyond that, her family lost a wife, a mother and daughter. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
New Orleans area community reacts to the death of Nancy Parker https://t.co/KgRqYLotZp
— FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) August 17, 2019
Parker, 53, had been with the station for 23 years. She won five Emmy Awards for her work and anchored the evening news for years before moving to the morning news.
She was a longtime member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), which offered condolences to Parker’s family, friends and colleagues.
“Nancy was an important voice for the community and was dedicated to the craft of journalism,” NABJ said in a statement. “She was passionate about telling impactful stories, and we extend open arms of support to those who knew and loved her.”
Parker leaves behind husband Glynn Boyd and their three children.
“My heart is shattered. The dearest and most wonderful person in my life is gone,” Boyd wrote on Facebook Saturday morning.
“I would trade places with her right now. I should’ve been on that plane,” he continued. “She was our road map, our compass, our guiding light. I’m lost without my wife. My faith tells me joy will come in the morning. My joy will come when I see Jesus and my Nancy face to face.”
