It’s with deep sorrow that we join the Cooper Aerobics community — and the wider health and fitness industry — in mourning the passing of Dr. Tyler Cooper. He died October 21 after a nine-month battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
“We are heartbroken to share the passing of Dr. Tyler C. Cooper — a devoted leader, proud father and passionate adventurer,” said Cooper Aerobics in a social media post. “From climbing mountains on all seven continents to summiting all 74 14,000‑ft. peaks in the contiguous U.S., he lived life with extraordinary energy and purpose. As president and CEO, he championed the Cooper mission worldwide, leading major renovations, expanding international partnerships and advancing innovations like the CooperFit cardiovascular test. His impact on health, wellness and preventive medicine will be felt for generations. The entire Cooper Aerobics family mourns this tremendous loss. Prayers are with his entire family, including his wife, Angie, and their three children, Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth Cooper and his sister Berkley and her family.”
Tyler grew up at the renowned Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, which was founded by his father, Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, just eight days before Tyler was born. Since childhood, engaging in health and wellness activities was always apart of his life.
He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University in 1994, where he was captain and All-Conference for both the track and cross country teams. Prior to medical school he worked abroad and in business development for Cooper Aerobics for several years. He received a Doctor of Medicine from The University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio in 2003 and a Master of Public Health in Health Care Management from Harvard University in 2005. Tyler completed his internship in Family Practice at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, Virginia, and his preventive medicine residency at The University of South Carolina.
Tyler began serving as a practicing preventive medicine physician at Cooper Clinic in 2006. He spearheaded numerous milestones for the organization including multi-million dollar renovations of Cooper Clinic, Cooper Fitness Center and Cooper Hotel and Spa. He also relaunched the direction of Cooper’s corporate wellness services with Cooper Wellness Strategies, Cooper’s business-to-business entity.
He had a love and passion for the outdoors and extreme. He also enjoyed back country snow skiing, diving and surfing throughout the world, and spending time with his wife, Angie, and their children, Clark, Lang and Kai.
