Eric the Midget
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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 The Wack Pack is the name given to an assortment of personalities heard throughout the history of ''The Howard Stern Show''. As a parody of the Rat Pack or Brat Pack, Stern biographer Richard Mintzer has labeled them a key part of the show. Mem ...
. 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), cerebr ...
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 ''
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''. 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 debu ...
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) and E ...
singer Natalie Maines, wrestler Kurt Angle and ''American Idol'' alumna Diana DeGarmo.


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'' in 2005. Lynch also appeared on '' Fringe'' 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 ''
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'' 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 American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
'' 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 choosing ...
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 Ap ...
'' 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 distribut ...
'' wrap-up shows including an ''American Idol'' discussion show on Howard 101 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
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's web offering ''TNA Today'' alongside wrestling personalities Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash 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'', ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'',
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and
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all reporting his death. Celebrities including Zach Braff,
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 among others Tweeted their condolences, with Eric's trademark sign-off "bye for now" trending number one as a Twitter Hashtag. Jimmy Kimmel 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 World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
and the Oakland A's, 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 in Lafayette, California.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