Richard Parsons, Former Time Warner CEO, Dies at 76

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorRichard D. Parsons, a pioneering Black business executive who led Time Warner after its disastrous merger with AOL and had a hand in untangling some of the media industry’s knottiest dilemmas, died Thursday in Manhattan.

He was 76. His friend Ronald S. Lauder told the New York Times the cause was bone cancer. Parsons had been suffering from multiple myeloma, a type of cancer, and a resurgence of the disase prompted him to step down from his role as interim chairman of CBS Corp.

in October 2018. Shari Redstone reached out to Parsons in the wake of the abrupt departure of Leslie Moonves from CBS leadership following sexual misconduct allegations.“As some of you know, when I agreed to join the board and serve as the interim chair, I was already dealing with a serious health challenge – multiple myeloma – but I felt that the situation was manageable,” he said in an announcement at the time. “Unfortunately, unanticipated complications have created additional new challenges, and my doctors have advised that cutting back on my current commitments is essential to my overall recovery.” He was replaced by Strauss Zelnick.

Parsons, who got his start working in New York state politics, rose to become CEO of the Dime Savings Bank, CEO of Time Warner and chairman of Citigroup before returning to the media industry and new challenges at CBS.