Film and television actor Corey Parker, best known for his roles in “Will & Grace” and “Friday the 13th,” has died at 60, TMZ says they learned from his aunt. The report says he succumbed to cancer on Thursday, March 3, in Memphis, Tennessee.
A GoFundMe created by his acting students previously revealed he’d been diagnosed with advanced stage 4 metastatic cancer. In a final update on February 17, Parker shared, “I want to update everyone regarding my terminal cancer. The radiation that was intended to reduce the pain from the cancer in my arm and in my hips did help to reduce the pain in those areas but also impacted my esophagus, my ability to speak and my overall orientation. It is hard for me to text and not easy to formulate speech.
We have started to prepare the house for the time when we will begin hospice care.”
His death follows shortly after the loss of another “Will & Grace” actor, Charles C. Stevenson Jr., who played Smitty and died of natural causes at 95 on February 6.
Parker’s breakthrough role came around 1984, when he was cast for the role of Pete in “Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning.”
He also memorably appeared in NBC’s trailblazing sitcom “Will & Grace” as the recurring character of Josh, a bohemian type who dated Grace in season 2.
Parker’s IMDb biography says he grew up in the theater, and began working as an actor at age 5. The bio also notes he has appeared on every major television network, including in main roles on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN, and says he is the younger brother of David Parker, a camera and electrical crew member who worked on “The Jane Austen Book Club” among other projects.
In 1992, Parker began starring in the sitcom “Flying Blind” with Téa Leoni, before later going on to appear in more projects that included “Biloxi Blues,” “Love Boat: The Next Wave,” and
Corey Parker Spoke About His Love for Acting in One of His final Interviews
During the final summer of his life, Parker discussed his love for acting in an interview with Bram Kerwin that was published July 9, 2025. He said acting was one of only two pursuits that ever interested him. “I only had one other interest. When we lived upstate in New York I had a dirt bike, a motorcycle, and I rode that thing everywhere,” he recalled. The late actor continued, “That was it. That was the thing that I loved. When we moved back to the city, of course you can’t ride there.” When he moved to L.A., he says he got another dirt bike, which he was able to enjoy riding above the city.”
Parker said other than riding his dirt bike, he never developed any other hobbies or interests outside of show business. “I was 100% in on acting,” looking on how “for years, for decades and decades” he never devoted much time to anything but his art.
In his later years, Parker transitioned to teaching acting classes, according to his Instagram page. His final social media post, shared in August 2025, was an announcement about an upcoming online class.
7 weeks before his death, someone inquired in the post’s comments, “Does anyone know how Corey is doing?”
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