Tyler C. Cooper, MD, MPH

Preventive medicine physician Tyler C. Cooper, MD, MPH, passed away on October 21, 2026, of acute myeloid leukemia. Tyler fought valiantly and was surrounded by family and his closest friends during the final months. He was 55 years old. Tyler lived a life full of faith, adventure and a deep abiding love for his wife Angie and three children, Clark, Lang and Kai.

Tyler Clark Cooper was born in Dallas, Texas, on December 14, 1970, to devoted parents, Kenneth Cooper, MD, MPH, and Millie Cooper. Tyler was the second of two children, with older sister Berkley. Tyler grew up in the family business and his parents instilled in him the benefits of aerobic exercise as a young child as they frequently ran three miles together as a family after church on Sunday. A strong athlete since childhood, Tyler loved to snow ski, water ski and was running as soon as he started walking. He attended St. Mark’s School of Texas, where he excelled at track as a four-time conference champion in track and cross-country. Tyler was awarded a track scholarship to Baylor University, where he was All-Conference, Conference Champion and Team Captain in both track and cross-country, as well as a member of Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI). He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University in 1994. Prior to attending medical school, he worked abroad and in business development for Cooper Aerobics for several years. Tyler 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 School of Public Health in 2005.

Tyler’s long work tenure at Cooper Aerobics and Cooper Clinic has been exemplary. He spearheaded many new business ventures in the U.S. and internationally. Working with Cooper’s corporate wellness arm since 1995, Tyler helped design the Cooper Ventures division (now Cooper Wellness Strategies) to provide corporate consulting health and wellness services. He began serving as a practicing preventive medicine physician at Cooper Clinic in 2006 and the following year, Start Strong, Finish Strong, the book he co-authored with his father, Dr. Kenneth Cooper, was released in September 2007. In 2008, Tyler was named CEO of Cooper Aerobics Enterprises, overseeing Cooper Fitness Center, Cooper Spa, Cooper Wellness Strategies and Cooper Hotel & Conference Center. Since then, Tyler has spearheaded numerous milestones for the Cooper organization, including multi-million-dollar renovations of Cooper Clinic and Cooper Fitness Center. Tyler recognized the 40th anniversary celebration of Cooper Aerobics in 2010 as an opportunity to re-brand the organization and position it for continued growth, leading the effort for the company to “Cooperize the world” and launching the new “Get Cooperized™” tagline.  

Named as President and CEO of Cooper Aerobics in 2014, he continued to promote the Cooper brand as a trustworthy source of health, wellness and fitness across the globe, a mission-based organization focused on improving the quality and quantity of people’s lives. He has established ties with China through the creation of Cooper Aerobics Greater China, opening the Cooper Aerobics Health and Wellness facility in Nanjing, China, in 2017. In addition, he focused on making fitness measurements a vital sign of health in the primary care setting through the CooperFit™ test.

Another of Tyler’s proud legacies was his service on the Baylor University Board of Regents starting in 2021, as Vice Chair of the Board’s Advancement Committee. Tyler spearheaded the creation of a Regents Scholarship for Baylor students and served on the advisory board for Baylor’s College of Health and Human Sciences. “Dr. Tyler Cooper was not only a Baylor Regent, but he was a Baylor parent, a Baylor graduate and a former Baylor champion track and cross-country student-athlete,” said Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, PhD. “As a preventive medicine physician, he was dedicated to helping improve the quality of people’s lives. As a Baylor Regent, he was passionate about the Baylor student experience and the University’s Christian mission. Surpassing all, however, was Tyler’s deep love for his family and his enduring faith in Jesus Christ.”

Tyler was well known as an adventurer and mountain climber. His love and passion for the outdoors and extreme adventures resulted in summiting the tallest peaks on several continents and trekking up all 74 14,000-foot mountains in the contiguous U.S., a goal of his to complete by age 50. Indeed, Tyler made it happen in his 50^th year, as he summited Mount Langley in California in July 2021, surrounded by all his family and friends.

Some of his most memorable climbs included Mount Fuji, which he hiked with his dad as a teenager; the Shackleton Traverse, a National Geographic expedition crossing in Antarctica; riding horses with his family across the Gobi Desert in order to summit a Mongolian peak with Angie, Clark, Lang and Kai; and Homestake Peak, which he climbed with his son Clark in 2020, on his son’s first ski mountaineering trip.

He enjoyed back country snow skiing, diving and surfing throughout the world, describing his favorite trips as “sav gnar” and bringing the same commitment to his own life that he encouraged in his patients with his famous phrase, “You’ll be fine!” You could find him most Thursdays on Lake Lewisville with his “Surfsday crew,” his affectionate name he used for the family and friends he took wake surfing on his boat.

Tyler was a proud father and family man. He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 24 years, Angie, and their three children, Clark, Lang and Kai.

Tyler was of strong Christian faith and an active member of Park Cities Baptist Church for 25 years.

A memorial and celebration of life service will take place on Thursday, November 19, at 6 p.m. at Park Cities Baptist Church. The service will also be accessible via livestream using this link: https://pcbcspecialevents.online.church. Please join the Tyler Cooper family at 5:10 p.m. on the front lawn of Park Cities Baptist Church for a moment of silence and time of worship as we collectively experience the glory of the Lord while watching the sun set as Tyler loved to do.  

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), Tyler Cooper Memorial Fund at Baylor University or Blood Cancer United.