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Larry H. Parker, One Of LA's OG Billboard Lawyers, Has Died. The Internet Pays Tribute
A Larry H. Parker billboard in L.A. on March 15, 2024.
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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Larry H. Parker, the personal injury lawyer whose billboards and TV ads over the last five decades have made him into a quintessentially Los Angeles icon, has died. He was 75.
His death was first reported Friday by TMZ and later confirmed by other media outlets. The cause of his death was not immediately disclosed, and his firm did not respond to inquiries from LAist.
Parker was a L.A. product through and through. He attended Cal State Los Angeles and obtained his law degree from Southwestern Law School before establishing his Long Beach practice in 1974. Since then, the firm has opened additional offices throughout Southern California.
According to the company's Facebook page, the firm has served more than 100,000 clients and recovered more than $2 billion in compensation.
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But what most Southern Californians will remember is the often bespectacled, sometimes mustachioed Parker staring into the camera, pointing a finger, and vowing to "fight for you." Or this TV ad, where the tagline, "Larry H. Parker got me $2.1 million" went viral before viral was a thing.
Parker's law firm began to advertise on television in 1982, shortly after a Supreme Court decision that opened the door to advertising for the legal profession.
Parker's branding and advertising tactics took personal injury marketing to a whole other level that has become the industry standard to this day.
Given Parker's iconic status, the internet took news of his death to heart.
Me as a kid staying home from school sick and watching Larry H Parker tell me he’ll fight for me. pic.twitter.com/6NlsbHgkvG
— LAFC_X (@LAFC_X) March 15, 2024
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If you don't live in Los Angeles you won't know who Larry H Parker is, but I've been watching his commercials since I was a child and knowing of his passing has actually made me a little sad 😢 https://t.co/9lVZx32QFi
— Dan Santat (@dsantat) March 15, 2024
Damn… RIP Larry H. Parker
— Mr. J (@Garcia95Jd) March 16, 2024
Nobody is gonna fight for me now 😭
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