Bye For Now
September 22, 2014 8:12 PM Subscribe
Noting the passing Saturday of Eric S. Lynch, a.k.a. Eric the Actor, a.k.a. Eric the Midget, a regular caller to The Howard Stern Show.
Lynch's survival to age 39 was a rebellion in and of itself against doctors who said he would not make it through his teens. His first call to the Show was 12 years ago Friday, when he called to defend the honor of one Kelly Clarkson. He became a Stern superstar, often viciously at odds with the Stern Show staff (YouTube links may contain some NSFW language). But he parlayed his career as a Stern Show caller into a brief acting career, appearing on Fringe, In Plain Sight, American Dreams, and Legit. One of his most ardent fans was late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who today tweeted "Eric the Actor was my all-time favorite @HowardStern caller and I will miss him terribly #ByeForNow." Many others will as well. Eric was one of the greats.
Lynch's survival to age 39 was a rebellion in and of itself against doctors who said he would not make it through his teens. His first call to the Show was 12 years ago Friday, when he called to defend the honor of one Kelly Clarkson. He became a Stern superstar, often viciously at odds with the Stern Show staff (YouTube links may contain some NSFW language). But he parlayed his career as a Stern Show caller into a brief acting career, appearing on Fringe, In Plain Sight, American Dreams, and Legit. One of his most ardent fans was late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who today tweeted "Eric the Actor was my all-time favorite @HowardStern caller and I will miss him terribly #ByeForNow." Many others will as well. Eric was one of the greats.
Bob Lefsetz wrote a long and well thought out post on Eric and how it will be a huge hole in the Stern show.
I rarely listen to Howard, but I did catch Eric one time. I honestly did not know what to make of him. Still don't.
RIP
posted by 724A at 8:26 PM on September 22, 2014
I rarely listen to Howard, but I did catch Eric one time. I honestly did not know what to make of him. Still don't.
RIP
posted by 724A at 8:26 PM on September 22, 2014
Cool, Howard mentioned this and I couldn't find it. Thanks!
posted by NedKoppel at 8:27 PM on September 22, 2014
posted by NedKoppel at 8:27 PM on September 22, 2014
My Stern-fanatic husband is a few shows behind and hadn't heard the news yet. It was indeed surprising that he survived, though -- "He was club-fuckin' footed!"
"He never did manage to fly with balloons. Now he's REALLY quit the show."
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posted by Madamina at 8:29 PM on September 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
"He never did manage to fly with balloons. Now he's REALLY quit the show."
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posted by Madamina at 8:29 PM on September 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
I cannot even begin to tell you how many hours of joy Eric the Actor brought me. He and Stern had amazing chemistry. Anytime they went to one of his calls you knew the next several minutes were going to be entertaining.
I'm glad he was able to use his connection to the Stern show to have so many amazing life experiences. As Stern noted in his tribute this morning, there couldn't have been many more items for Eric to check off his bucket list. He packed a lot of living into those 39 years.
Honestly, out of all the recent celebrity deaths, I think this one actually hit me the hardest in a way. You listen to a guy several times a week for years and years, he starts to feel like family.
posted by The Gooch at 10:43 PM on September 22, 2014 [5 favorites]
I'm glad he was able to use his connection to the Stern show to have so many amazing life experiences. As Stern noted in his tribute this morning, there couldn't have been many more items for Eric to check off his bucket list. He packed a lot of living into those 39 years.
Honestly, out of all the recent celebrity deaths, I think this one actually hit me the hardest in a way. You listen to a guy several times a week for years and years, he starts to feel like family.
posted by The Gooch at 10:43 PM on September 22, 2014 [5 favorites]
I can dig that, Mr. Gooch. If I'm by a radio, and Eric comes on, I'm sorry, I'm stopping what I'm doing and I'm shushing everyone in the room. Whether he was boring, whether he was angry, whether he was weirdly righteous and demanding, I wanted to hear it. I've been mourning all day. This was a big one.
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posted by NedKoppel at 11:09 PM on September 22, 2014
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posted by NedKoppel at 11:09 PM on September 22, 2014
P.S. Notice what he won before he left us. Notice how you address him. "Eric the Actor." He fought for years and years and YEARS to eschew the "m-word" from his Stern Show moniker. He won. Nobody is calling him "midget" today. Nobody. He exacted an enormous victory over the King of All Media. That's nearly impossible to do, but he did it.
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posted by NedKoppel at 11:19 PM on September 22, 2014 [7 favorites]
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posted by NedKoppel at 11:19 PM on September 22, 2014 [7 favorites]
I've had a strange fascination with Eric for a long time and genuinely admired his fighting spirit. He was three feet tall, confined to a wheelchair, and cursed with a medical textbook-length list of painful afflictions, any one of which would make me want to curl up into a ball under my bed and never speak with anyone ever. And yet in spite of all that, he sought out attention and fame. He had something to prove to the world and goddamn if he didn't do so.
Sure he took a lot of shit from Howard's staff and fans, but he gave it back every bit as good as he got, and in the end he truly accomplished his dream of becoming an entertainer. He will be sorely missed, and if there's any justice in this universe he will be six feet tall, handsome and healthy in his next life.
posted by seymourScagnetti at 12:48 AM on September 23, 2014 [7 favorites]
Sure he took a lot of shit from Howard's staff and fans, but he gave it back every bit as good as he got, and in the end he truly accomplished his dream of becoming an entertainer. He will be sorely missed, and if there's any justice in this universe he will be six feet tall, handsome and healthy in his next life.
posted by seymourScagnetti at 12:48 AM on September 23, 2014 [7 favorites]
Oh man. I was a huge Eric fan. As irritating as he was at times, he was always entertaining. Every time he and Johnny Frado called in you knew it was going to be entertaining.
"You know what to do. You KNOW what to do."
That was always my favorite call.
RIP.
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posted by Benway at 6:45 AM on September 23, 2014 [4 favorites]
"You know what to do. You KNOW what to do."
That was always my favorite call.
RIP.
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posted by Benway at 6:45 AM on September 23, 2014 [4 favorites]
Howard Stern honors Eric the Actor with weekend Howard 101 tribute
posted by The Gooch at 4:28 PM on September 26, 2014
posted by The Gooch at 4:28 PM on September 26, 2014
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