Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Parker, the intimidating outfielder known as “the Cobra,” died at age 74 on June 28, 2025, just one month before his scheduled induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Pittsburgh Pirates announced his death before their game against the New York Mets at PNC Park, where a moment of silence was held in his honor.
Parker had been battling Parkinson’s disease, which he was diagnosed with in 2012. His wife of 41 years, Kellye, requested privacy following his death and thanked those who reached out from around the world.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound right fielder made his major league debut on July 12, 1973, in San Diego, the summer following Roberto Clemente’s tragic death. Parker spent 11 of his 19 MLB seasons with the Pirates from 1973 to 1983, establishing himself as one of baseball’s most feared hitters and quotable personalities.
Parker’s decorated career included numerous accolades spanning nearly two decades. He won the 1978 National League MVP Award after batting .334 with 30 home runs and 117 RBIs. He captured back-to-back NL batting titles in 1977 and 1978, leading the league with a .338 average and 215 hits in 1977. The seven-time All-Star also earned MVP honors at the 1979 All-Star Game.
His defensive prowess earned him three Gold Glove Awards as a right fielder, complemented by three Silver Slugger awards. Parker was instrumental in the Pirates’ 1979 World Series championship and added a second championship ring with the Oakland Athletics in 1989, homering in the Series opener against the San Francisco Giants.
Born on June 9, 1951, in Grenada, Mississippi, Parker moved to Cincinnati five years later. He became a three-sport athlete at Courter Tech High School, excelling as a star running back until a knee injury during his senior season ended his football career. This pivotal moment redirected his focus to baseball.
The Pirates selected Parker in the 14th round of the 1970 Draft, taking a chance on the high school catcher with the injured knee. By 1972, he had become the best prospect in the defending World Series champions’ system. Despite early comparisons to Clemente, Parker was determined to establish his own identity, later telling MLB Network that he was trying to make his mark as the first Dave Parker rather than the next Roberto Clemente.
Parker was a trailblazer both on and off the field, becoming the first professional baseball player to average $1 million per season when he signed a five-year contract worth more than $5 million before the 1979 season. He was also among the first professional athletes to wear an earring, and his poetic, bombastic quotes led teammates to call him the Muhammad Ali of baseball.
After leaving Pittsburgh in 1983, Parker signed with his hometown Cincinnati Reds, calling it a dream come true. He spent four seasons with the Reds from 1984 to 1987, accumulating a .281 batting average, 107 home runs, and 432 RBIs. In 1985, he led the NL with 125 RBIs and finished second in MVP voting. Parker also played for the Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels, and Toronto Blue Jays before retiring in 1991.
Throughout his career, Parker compiled impressive statistics: 2,712 hits, a .290 batting average, 339 home runs, and 1,493 RBIs. He also stole 154 bases, demonstrating his five-tool capabilities. Parker won MLB’s first Home Run Derby title in 1985 and was known for his aggressive playing style and intimidating presence at the plate.
His legacy was complicated by his cocaine use and involvement in the Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985, which many believed prevented his election to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He spent the maximum 15 years on the ballot, reaching only 24.5 percent of votes, and later fell short on the Modern Baseball Era ballot in 2019.
Parker was finally elected to the Hall of Fame in December 2024 by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, receiving 14 of 16 votes needed. When informed of his selection, Parker told reporters that he had been holding his speech in for 15 years.
He will be posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27 in Cooperstown, New York, alongside the late Dick Allen in the Class of 2025. Parker was also an inaugural member of the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame in 2022.
After his playing career, Parker remained involved in baseball, serving as a coach for the Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals and working as a special instructor for the Pirates. He stayed in Cincinnati, where he opened a restaurant and maintained strong ties to the community. The city honored him by dedicating a street in his neighborhood to him.
In 2013, Parker established the Dave Parker 39 Foundation for Parkinson’s, focused on finding a cure and improving life for those living with the disease. Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting described Parker as having a big personality whose passing left an even bigger void.