美國最傑出的黑人高管之一 Richard Parsons,曾在時代華納和花旗集團擔任最高職位，昨天去世，享年76歲。

帕森斯的遺產在於他變革性的領導力、危機管理和指導，這些都繼續塑造著今天的企業界。

A great troubleshooter in hard times of corporate

帕森斯在2002年至2007年間擔任時代華納的首席執行官。他被認為在與美國在線（AOL）陷入困境的合並後（這被認為是曆史上最糟糕的收購之一）穩定了公司並減少了債務。

2009年至2012年擔任花旗集團主席期間，帕森斯領導了2008年金融危機後的銀行複蘇努力，恢複了投資者的信心，並指導該機構完成了關鍵的重組。

跟醫學界著名的黑人共和黨人本卡森一樣，帕森斯也是共和黨的：As a Rockefeller Republican, Parsons considered himself a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. Parsons worked for Giulianis campaign for New York mayor but kept a behind-the-scenes profile. I didnt want to be positioned as the Mayors Black guy,? he told the Times a few years later。

在奧爾巴尼法學院就讀期間他做兼職看門人，幫助支付學費，並在班級中名列前茅。在紐約州立法機構實習期間，他與溫和的共和黨州長建立了聯係。納爾遜洛克菲勒於1974年在理查德尼克鬆總統辭職後成為傑拉爾德福特的副總統。帕森斯成為福特總統國內政策委員會的副主任。

Dick was an American original, a colossus bestriding the worlds of business, media, culture, philanthropy, and beyond, Ronald Lauder said in a statement on behalf of the Lauder family.
David Zaslav, the CEO of Time Warner successor Warner Bros. Discovery, hailed Parsons as a great mentor and friend and a tough and brilliant negotiator, always looking to create something where both sides win.
All who got a chance to work with him and know him saw that unusual combination of great leadership with integrity and kindness, Zaslav said, calling him one of the great problem solvers this industry has ever seen.
Parsons, a Brooklyn native who started college at 16, built a track record of steering big companies through tough times.

Dicks storied career embodied the finest traditions of American business leadership, Lazard said in a statement. The company, where Parsons was a board member from 2012 until this month, praised his unmistakable intelligence and his irresistible warmth.

他於2015年被診斷患了多發性骨髓瘤。

Parsons是長期董事會成員的金融服務公司Lazard證實了他的死亡。

Parsons的朋友Ronald Lauder告訴《紐約時報》，死因是癌症。

Parsons於12月3日辭去Lazard和Lauder公司雅詩蘭黛董事會職務，理由是出於健康原因。他在雅詩蘭黛的董事會任職了25年。