Saying Goodbye to Our Friend, Eric the Actor

Well, as you probably heard, this morning was a tough one in the history of the Howard Stern Show – we said goodbye to our good friend, Eric the Actor.

No, he didn’t threaten to boycott the show again, he actually passed away on Saturday, and we’re all heartbroken.

The doctors said Eric wouldn’t make it out of his teens, but he defied all the odds and lived thirty-nine years. He began experiencing stomach problems a few days before he passed, asked for an ambulance, and was gone shortly thereafter, surrounded by family and friends.

Eric’s longtime friend and caretaker Jon called up and spoke about how great Eric was, what the show meant to him, and he reminisced with Howard about Eric’s greatest moments on the radio.

Howard, Robin Quivers, Gary Dell’Abate, Fred Norris, and every other staff member and super fan seemed to be in agreement that Eric was terrific on the Stern Show.

Howard thought long and hard, sifting through Eric’s greatest hits:

The time he called Johnny Fratto and tried to order a hit on a high school classmate. This guy named Jerry started the rumor that Eric ruined their high school by insisting they install a wheelchair ramp – an allegation Eric vehemently denied. He left a now-legendary voicemail where he asked Johnny to “find that guy” and told him “you know what to do … you know what to do.”

Eric’s first call, where he admonished Howard for not finding “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson attractive. This morning, Howard thanked Kelly publicly for being the one to bring Eric to the Stern Show.

And of course, there was the time he measured his penis on the air and it came in at an impressive five inches.

But for Howard’s money, Eric’s greatest moment was when he was headed to New Mexico to film “In Plain Sight” and he was nervous that he might encounter werewolves. That’s entertainment.

For Jon, the highlight was when the show got Eric to the Bunny Ranch to get laid for the very first time. It was a real highlight in Eric’s life.

Longtime friend of the show and Eric’s biggest fan Jimmy Kimmel called in to express his sorrow. He said that Eric was truly the all-time greatest caller in show history. Jimmy loved the way Eric treated Howard like they were equals, and he seemed to speak for everyone. The whole crew loved that even though Eric was severely handicapped, he was as pissed off and ballsy as any tough guy.

Stern Show superfan David Arquette and Eric’s manager Johnny Fratto also called up to reminisce about the little guy.

Howard had a special way with Eric, a real chemistry that sounded like “love-hate” but was much more love. “I loved Eric,” Howard said. “I truly, truly loved him. He was the greatest.”

We will always miss him, and he has left an enormous hole in show business, especially for someone so little.

Variety, US Magazine, The New York Daily News, OK! Magazine, Yahoo! and countless celebrities were all reporting on his passing, which would have made him very proud. His status as a major Hollywood player was now undeniable.

We even got #EricTheActor and #ByeForNow to hit the #1 and #2 Trending spots on Twitter.

We love you, Eric. Bye for now.