First Black Woman World Champion Sandy Parker Reported To Have Passed Away In 2022

Sandy Parker, the first Black woman to ever hold a World Champion, is newly-reported to have passed away in 2022. Slam! Wrestling reported on Tuesday that Parker passed away in June of 2022 at the age of 77. The site notes that Parker was hospitalized in 2022 and that everyone lost contact with her, with it only being discovered that she passed this week.

Parker grew up in Windsor, Ontario and was was raised by her grandmother. She became interested in pro wrestling after attending an event, and trained with Lou Klein, Mary Jane Mull, and Lucille Dupree in Michigan while still living in Windsor. She made her professional debut at the age of 23 and trained at the Fabulous Moolah’s school in South Carolina, but left due to issues with Moolah. Slam notes that Parker, who was lesbian, stood up to Moolah on her double standards and quoted her as saying from a 2008 interview:

“She didn’t want me going to any gay bars (strict rules). Lillian was two-faced because she had her own little dalliances that we knew about. And so as far as I’m concerned and I told her, “Lillian if I want to go, I’m going to go.” If I’m out working, I’d do what she told me to do, but if I’m at home, on my own time, I do my own thing.”

Parker won All Japan Women Pro Wrestling’s WWWA World Single Championship in May of 1973 to become the first Black woman to hold a World Championship. She also held the promotion’s WWWA World Tag Team Championship eight times; four with Betty Niccoli, two with Jean Antoine, and two with Masked Lee. She also had runs with the NWA United States Women’s Championship and NWA World Women’s Tag Team Championship, the latter in 1971 with Susan Green and the former in 1976 when she returned from Japan.

Parker retired in 2006 and was honored by the Cauliflower Alley Club in 2004.

On behalf of 411, our condolences to the friends, family and fans of Sandy Parker.