I lost an old friend today – or rather a young friend. Eric, would have been 40 on October 30th. He was found in his apartment this morning. I don’t have a clue what happened, but I am even sadder to make a guess. Eric was very overweight. He probably needed to lose 150 pounds. He was always a big person, but recently I could see through his Facebook photos, he had gotten even heavier. He was troubled by knee issues, but that is the only health-related thing he ever mentioned.

I hadn’t seen Eric in about 12 years, but reconnected via FB. He was just a high school kid when I first met him doing a show with the Long Beach Theater Guild 25 years ago. From that first show together (Harvey) through several wonderful musicals and theater productions, Eric was always a shining star – His talent as big as his laugh; his voice as beautiful as his good nature.

I am only speculating that his weight contributed to his sudden death. But knowing what I know about being heavy, I feel it with every fiber of my being. And this has hit me incredibly hard. Not only is his death a tragedy, but it is one that quite possibly could have been avoided. Heavy People; we ignore signs. We don’t get regular check-ups. We believe we are invincible. We think there is always tomorrow to get healthy. But now Eric’s tomorrow will never come. A bright light in many people’s lives is gone and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it. Rest in Peace, Eric. I am taking your death to heart. I know you are “rockin’ the boat” in heaven. Don’t ever sit down…