Eric the Actor
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Eric Shaun Lynch (March 11, 1975 – September 20, 2014), once known as Eric the Midget and later Eric the Actor, was a member of '' The Howard Stern Show's'' Wack Pack. Lynch was, at his peak, tall, weighed , and had various health issues, including Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome. Lynch used a motorized
wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), ce ...
for mobility. Despite his poor health, he claimed to have outlived every doctor's prediction for his life expectancy.


Medical conditions

Eric's height was cited at between and , which is within the threshold to be considered to have
dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition wherein an organism is exceptionally small, and mostly occurs in the animal kingdom. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dw ...
. Because of his short legs, weak joints, and a
club foot Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inward and downward. Congenital clubfoot is the most common congenital malformation of the foot with an incidence of 1 per 1000 births. In approximately 50% of cases, clubfoot aff ...
, he employed a wheelchair to get around. His other conditions included stork bite which gave him a "blotchy" complexion and Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome, which resulted in gnarled fingers.


''The Howard Stern Show''

Eric initially called in on September 19, 2002, to discuss ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
''. Lynch had called to respond to Stern's statements that contestant
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of '' American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her de ...
was not overly attractive. Stern initially talked to Lynch with mild enthusiasm, but after an extended discussion regarding Lynch's unique voice and speaking style, Lynch revealed that he was tall, which piqued Stern's interest. Eric was frequently at odds with ''The Howard Stern Show'', its staff, its callers and its guests. Eric made one in-studio appearance on November 3, 2008, alongside two prostitutes from the Bunny Ranch. Also present were
Dixie Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) an ...
singer
Natalie Maines Natalie Louise Maines (born October 14, 1974) is an American singer. She is the lead vocalist for the all-female country band The Chicks. In 1995, after leaving Berklee College of Music, Maines was recruited by the Dixie Chicks to replace their ...
, wrestler
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
and ''American Idol'' alumna
Diana DeGarmo Diana Nicole DeGarmo (born June 16, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in 2004 as the runner-up of the third season of ''American Idol'', releasing her debut studio album, '' Blue Skies'', later that year. The ...
.


Other media

Eric preferred to be called Eric the Actor. For legal reasons, Eric requested that his full official title be "Eric the Actor, formerly known as Eric the Midget" in order to protect the "Eric the Midget" trade name. Lynch made his television debut in a cameo on ''
American Dreams ''American Dreams'' is an American drama television series that ran on NBC for three seasons & 61 episodes, from September 29, 2002, to March 30, 2005. The show tells the story of the Pryor family of Philadelphia during the mid-1960s, with many ...
'' in 2005. Lynch also appeared on ''
Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts * Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe" * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * The Fringe, the ...
'' in 2010, ''
In Plain Sight ''In Plain Sight'' is an American drama television series that premiered on the USA Network on June 1, 2008. The series revolves around Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack), a Deputy United States Marshal attached to the Albuquerque, New Mexico, office ...
'' in 2012, and ''
Legit ''Legit'' is a slang abbreviation of '' legitimate''. It may also refer to: * Legit (professional wrestling) * ''Legit'' (2006 TV series), Scottish sitcom * ''Legit'' (2013 TV series), created by comedian Jim Jefferies * Legit Ballin', a record ...
'' in 2014. Eric appeared on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...
'' in 2008. Eric also participated in a number of
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
ing ventures. He hosted ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'' and ''
America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribu ...
'' wrap-up shows including an ''American Idol'' discussion show on
Howard 101 Howard 100 and Howard 101 are two uncensored channels on Sirius XM, a satellite radio service that broadcasts programming affiliated with Howard Stern and ''The Howard Stern Show''. Though the channels were first broadcast on September 29, 200 ...
which featured
Brian Dunkleman Brian Dunkleman (born September 25, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, and television personality. He is best known as being co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the first season of ''American Idol'', in 2002. Career ''American Idol'' In 2002 Dunkle ...
as co-host. He made appearances on
TNA Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promo ...
's web offering ''TNA Today'' alongside wrestling personalities
Mike Tenay Michael William Tenay (born March 1, 1955) is an American podcast presenter and retired professional wrestling play-by-play announcer known for his time as an announcer for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TN ...
and
Jeremy Borash Jeremy Borash (born July 19, 1974), is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator, announcer, ring announcer, booker, interviewer, and producer who is currently signed to WWE. He is known for his work in Impact Wrestling as ...
in 2012.


Death

On September 20, 2014, Lynch was admitted to a hospital because of heart problems. After arriving, Lynch's liver and kidneys began to shut down and he died. On September 21, Lynch's longtime friend and manager Johnny Fratto became the first to report his death. Fratto tweeted "I am so sorry and so sad to inform everyone that my friend Eric "The Actor" Lynch passed away yesterday afternoon!!!" News of Lynch's death received considerable media attention with outlets as high profile as ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'', CNN and TMZ all reporting his death. Celebrities including
Zach Braff Zachary Israel Braff'Scrubs' Star Zach Braff Wows ...
,
Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' trilo ...
and
Diana Degarmo Diana Nicole DeGarmo (born June 16, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in 2004 as the runner-up of the third season of ''American Idol'', releasing her debut studio album, '' Blue Skies'', later that year. The ...
among others Tweeted their condolences, with Eric's trademark sign-off "bye for now" trending number one as a Twitter Hashtag.
Jimmy Kimmel James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the host and executive producer of ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-night talk show that premiered on ABC on January 26, 2003, ...
was so upset by the news that he called The Stern Show first thing on September 22, even though he had an infant child and it was only 4:00am Pacific Daylight Time during the broadcast. Eric, a huge fan of WWE and the
Oakland A's The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
, was mourned during telecasts of both organizations, with the on-air personalities signing off the A's broadcast by saying "bye for now." Eric's roommate Jon spoke with Howard and encouraged fans to have Eric's favorite foods, Pepsi and bacon, in his honor. Lynch was buried at
Oakmont Memorial Park Oakmont Memorial Park is a cemetery, crematorium and funeral home in Lafayette, California, United States. Notable interments * John F. Baldwin Jr. (1915–1966), US Congressman * Brent Mydland (1952–1990), musician, keyboardist for the Gratefu ...
in
Lafayette, California Lafayette (formerly La Fayette) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 25,391. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer of the American Revolutionary War. ...
.Oakmont Memorial Park and Mortuary
Retrieved 2018-09-15


Filmography


References


External links

* * {{authority control 1975 births 2014 deaths Actors with dwarfism People with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome American podcasters American radio personalities Entertainers with dwarfism Sirius Satellite Radio American male actors People from Rodeo, California