Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Erik Saltzgaber passed away.

Erik passed away in his sleep, of natural causes, on Tuesday night, June 10. He had been in good spirits, eagerly anticipating hockey camp in Lake Placid and hopeful about some recent new professional opportunities. His death is a profound shock to all of us, but we are comforted that he died peacefully and in a happy and optimistic state of mind.

On Monday, June 23 there was memorial gathering. The gathering place was the Old North Church at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. It was a time to share memories of Erik and the ways he touched us all – with his humor, his intensity, his joy, his struggles, his tenacity and his love. Many came to join us in sharing the sorrow of our loss, but also to celebrate Erik’s life.
The memorial service was tasteful and poignant and warm and funny. I think Erik would have loved it. There was a common theme that became clear as people there talked about Erik, and in the comments people have posted on this site. Erik was known for his humor, his intellect, his prickliness and his generosity. So many people said that they would not be where they are now without Erik's support and encouragement . So I guess that is his real legacy. He inspired so many people to reach beyond what they perceived as their limitations to achieve successes that they would never have thought possible.

We may have sorrow for our own loss of a son, brother, husband, friend, colleague, teacher, or coach, but Erik is free of pain, knows somehow that he was widely and deeply loved, and we believe he's found joy and peace at last.

Please share this with anyone that you think would want to know about Erik. If you would like to say a few words about Erik, click on COMMENTS below. Thank you.

38 comments:

The Ricards said...

Erik was my uncle. I remember only fun times, jokes, and laughter. I did not see him very often, but he had a huge impact on my life. I remember when I was little getting piggy back rides, sitting on his feet while he did sit ups, and learning from him how to jump rope. He had one of those jump ropes that was a string with plastic beads. I was so impressed that he could jump forwards and backwards. Sometimes I would sit and count with him the number of times he jumped. He got me interested in reading Gerald Durrell and zoology. I sat enthralled, listening to stories about his own animals, snakes, lizards, and frogs that he had growing up. As I got older I remember playing scrabble and watching Jeopardy with him. Scrabble always degenerated into made up words and sharing tiles. He always seemed to know all the answers to all the questions on Jeopardy. When people asked where I wanted to go to college I would say Cornell, like my uncle. Ice cream isn't ice cream without peanut butter to wash it down. I watch horror films because of him. My life is richer for having read what he has written. I was always so impressed with how he could paint the picture and draw me into it. I am honored to have known him.

Lisa said...

From Dave Smith:

I was shocked and saddened to learn of Erik's passing.While I didn't know Erik for a long time we forged a friendship through the sport of hockey that was outstanding. I coached Erik at CanAm hockey school in Lake Placid, NY some years ago. We stayed in touch over the years and he even donated to our college hockey program at Canisius College. I think it made him really mad when my old school tied his Big Red from Cornell. He had a passion for hockey and through that we became friends.
The world is missing someone who made it a better place to be.
My deepest sympathy to his family and friends.

Dave Smith
Head hockey coach
Canisius College

Lisa said...

From Sheri Bryant:
I had heard the sad, sad news from my
friend and old office mate Clark Peterson via phone yesterday. I
worked with Erik when he was at Image and we became good friends. I
had recently been emailing with him and he was supposed to visit my
film set on Tuesday. I figured he was busy when he didn't call, but I
never figured anything like this had happened. I am happy to say
though that he was in very good spirits up until this day, and I think
he went in peace.

I will not be able to attend next Monday because I will be in China,
but Erik will be in my thoughts and in my heart always. He was a very
funny, special person and I will miss him. Know that many people
loved Erik here in the city of angels.

Lisa said...

From Nick Gardner:
I am very sorry to hear about Erik. He was a thoughtful and talented person and will be missed by a great many people.
I got to know him from Thursday hockey clinics and came to admire for his passion for the game, his commitment to putting together quality teams, and his perseverance in the face of many health issues. He invited me to play on the Monarchs several years ago, and I have enjoyed every season and made many good friends thanks to his organization skills and his assembling a group of quality people. He was always friendly, welcoming, insightful, and supportive to me. And I think he was the only guy smart enough to always get Sabby's drills right on the first try! (Thursday clinics)
We had a special bond from some of the health issues that challenged us. I hope it is not an inappropriate thing to say, but I am comforted for him that his passing, though far too early in life, was apparently peaceful and not a prolonged painful struggle that took him away from hockey, work, and the things he loved (as I might have feared given the known and unknown diagnoses he faced).
Thank you for the opportunity to pay our respects Monday.
My deepest condolences,
Nick Gardner
Monarchs #21

Lisa said...

From Wendi Niad:
I am so saddened by this. Thank you for letting me know. Erik was an amazing person. He will always hold a very special place in my heart.
With great, great sadness,
Wendi Niad
Niad Management

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

I was a teammate of Erik's this season on the Barons. I did not know Erik much at all, but played against him in the past and could sense the passion he had for the game of hockey.
I will not be able to attend the memorial (and luncheon), but wanted to express my gratitude for the invitation.
I offer my most heartfelt condolences for your loss.
Sincerely,
--Dave Milman

Anonymous said...

I had the pleasure to know Erik through ice hockey. I played against him mostly and was his team mate for only one season, but I liked Erik and I will miss him!

Anonymous said...

I was very saddened to hear the news about Erik. I have said and will continue to say a prayer for him each day. Since I started playing ice hockey he has been a permanent fixture at the rink and I was on his team every season since the inception of the Monarchs. His passion and devotion to the game and team was truly amazing. What people didn't realize is that he always wanted everyone to have as much enjoyment as he had. If they couldn't afford the season or needed some cash he would pay for it and he never asked for the money in return. Some seasons he paid nearly $1000 or more to play so everyone could play. He seemed like a hardass but underneath it was a compassionate and devoted friend. We will all miss him.

Anonymous said...

I'm really saddened to hear of Erik's passing. He was a great teammate and captain of our hockey team. He was just an all around good guy
who cherished the sport of hockey, films, and good writing. I was lucky enough to play on 2 teams with Erik. He will be missed.
Please give my condolences to your family. We will always keep him in our hearts and memories!

Anonymous said...

It was so shocking and sad to hear of Erik's passing. Although I hadn't seen Erik in more than a year, I was always extremely fond of him and his black wardrobe :) We worked together at Image, and he stood up for me when no one else would. I will remember him warmly as being one of the good guys in the biz. I can just imagine him now playing hockey whenever he likes and maybe gaining some weight on that heavenly food (did I hear him say "nah!")

My heart goes out to his family and friends.

With love, Adele Yoshioka

Anonymous said...

Erik and I used to squabble like an old married couple. But like that couple, after the imbroglio, we would instantly go back to being the great friends that we truly were. I think we enjoyed the barbs as much as we enjoyed the conversation.

Erik is the man who got me to play hockey again. I was taking a night time clinic after not playing in twenty years. (and not that well even then) He sat beside me in the locker room and we soon learned that we were both writers, shared the same agent and lived not too far from each other. Soon, he asked me to join the Monarchs. I resisted as I didn't want to bring the team down. He insisted, simple as that. And we all know, Erik could convince like no one else. I remember saying to him the night after my first game, that as I was shaking the hands of the other team, even though we had lost, I couldn't stop smiling. That put a smile on his face, even bigger than mine.

Erik could be difficult but that was because he did not compromise. He lived his life like he played the game - with passion, integrity and the occasional complaint to anyone who was listening.

After my schedule became such that I could no longer continue with the team, Erik and I stayed in touch through emails. I would always look forward to his letters. Be it a short note to talk about a movie, an angry missive, a supportive pep talk when I was having my own woes, or a hilarious retelling of his ongoing soap opera that should have made you cry. It is hard to believe I will never have another letter from him again.

Everyone has talked about Erik's passion for hockey. I would like to talk about his passion for writing. He was an excellent writer, and as much as we'll remember him for his love of hockey, I will also remember him for his love of words, and knowing how just to use them.

My best memory of Erik is one that was on the ice, however. It was a Thanksgiving morning, and we were the only two players who showed up for an ice time. For an hour, Erik and I shared the ice. Two men, passing, shooting and practicing but more importantly, two men just being friends.

I will close the way he used to close all his letters to me. It's an Inuit word that means hello and good-bye. I once told him about it and he adopted it as his own.

Chimo, good friend. I miss you so much.


Brent Piaskoski

Anonymous said...

Erik was also my uncle, and much of what my sister, Genevieve, said I would like to echo. When I was a child, I looked upon his visits with such pleasure. He always took the time to roughhouse with his nieces and nephews. Teaching us incorrigible habits like sucking on our toes, and showing our "seefood" at the dinner table. He was funny, and playful, and so smart.
I remember as a teenager coming across an old short story he had written in school. It was a horror story that was so brilliant and so chilling that the story still sticks with me today. It is what inspired me to take a creative writing class in high school, and later attempt to write a book. I remember thinking, "If this is what he wrote then, I can't wait to see what he writes in the future!"
I was so proud of him, so proud that he was my uncle. I remember cheering him on in a karate tournament, and how excited I was to see his name in the opening credits to a CSI episode.
Just as when I was a child, I was overjoyed when I heard he would be in the area for a hockey tournament this month, and that I might get to see him again. It was with much sorrow that I greeted the news of his death, before I had another chance to visit with him. I am sorry for all the opportunities lost, but grateful that he was in good spirits with the prospect of doing something he loved on the horizon. He will be greatly missed and long remembered.

paul guilfoyle said...

Erik "thats with a K like Erik the Red" I once mispelled his name Eric and was quickly and fiercely corrected. Erik was fierce in his loyalty and friendships as well. I have played on teams erik assembled for 8 years and we went to Lake Placid hockey camp together a couple of times. We shared the commitment to improve our hockey skills but deeped our understanding and friendship. I relied on Erik's judgement , perserverance and intelligence both on and off the ice. He was always available to search for a deeper answer and was paradoxically kind and cantankerous, sincere with a stinging wit, consciencious and dismissive at the same time, quatilies that we , his friends came to acknowledge as his own steadfast mixer of the truth. There were no banalities, just fierce opinions and uncommonly correct insight.
Erik helped me write speeches for charities I was involved in, and commencements, wrote stories for my job, and I helped him by being a spokesman for a series he was promoting at his job. We shared favors as easily as brothers.
I will miss his frienship and his observations.
I will miss Erik the Red.

Anonymous said...

I am heartbroken at my good friend's passing. We had been rivals (more to his thinking than mine) for more than a few years in hockey, each of us running teams in the same division, taking turns winning the championships. I began playing for one of Erik's teams, and finally he played for one of mine this season. I could never play for any other Capt. than Erik -- he just knew how to do it right like no one else. He was also a brother writer, and he would catch me online writing many nights at two a.m. and share a joke or a thought -- I was and will remain grateful. We also shared a dry, cutting, and self-depricating sense of humor, and he had the classic will to knowledge, which made him loved and respected in my book. When one got past the defenses -- those legendary defenses -- Erik was all heart... big, generous, tender heart. I consider myself the much better man for having known him. Through him I got to know Bloom, Guilfoyle, Williams, Kawasaki, Morton, Staley, King, Davine, and many other men I now count as friends. Erik, you enriched my life in many ways, and I rejoice in the time we had together. I'll miss you, pal. Yours in Life - D.L.

Anonymous said...

I worked with Erik briefly at New World and then even more briefly with Image, but I remember him as a very nice guy, always personable and willing to chat.

I am sorry to hear he has passed away and with his family all of the best during this sad time.

Devin Cutler

Anonymous said...

My brother was a good man and I will miss him. He was my younger brother and growing up we had our sibling rivalry. In sports he followed me into hockey and I will never forget when when his Pee Wee team the Green Elks won the league championship in the early 70's. He was so proud and he let me know many times that they were #1, in fact I still have the team picture. Erik never wanted me to forget that "He" was a member of a championship team.

He throughly enjoy his creatures too. We shared a room when we were young and his critters smelled funny but they were interesting. I loved to watch him at feeding time because he was so happy, especially the clawed frogs.

As he continued to grow he lived in Europe and I remember going to play soccer with him at the local college field. He was getting better and I was hoping he would play on the high school team like I did.

His interests took him in another direction Tai Kwan Do. His passion and dedication lead him to a black belt.

As I entered the Air Force and my asignments took me accross the country we still had many good talks. Mostly about aircraft and flying because this is when I became aware of his desire to write story lines. He wanted to try and put together a realistic story about flying and air combat.

Our time together was mostly on the phone because of physical distance and job demands. Calls covered many topics and sometimes our "discussions" became quite heated because of his strong beliefs and his passion to push his position.

The last time I saw him was at my retirement from the Air force and he was still just as focussed on his workout schedule and steadfast opinions which made for some great debates.

I miss him and I pray that I will meet him in heaven!!

Unknown said...

I knew Erik from pickup hockey, and Thursday hockey clinics at Iceoplex. He was
very committed to hockey, improving his game, helping, and being an
integral part of the community at Iceoplex. My
condolences go out to you and your family, and loved ones.

I will be unable to attend his memorial for work reasons, but my
thoughts will go out to you all that day.

Regards,
Evren Goknar

Anonymous said...

I'm really going to miss Erik. He was the first person I met when I started to show up at sticktimes at the old Iceoplex. He was wearing a black Sabres jersey, and since I'm from Buffalo, I figured he was too. Well, he wasn't from Buffalo but we became friends early on. I could barely skate and I would try to pass to him and I'd always miss or screw up and he was so patient. He never got disgusted or gave up and eventually he started the Monarchs and asked me to join. I've always been very grateful to him for that. Through the last 8 years, whenever I could show up at the Thursday Sabby clinic, I would always show up early because I knew Erik would be the first one in the locker room and we could talk about hockey or work or anything. That was very enjoyable.

Roy Staley

tom said...

Erik was my oldest friend -- we knew each other from kindergarten until the end. He was a one-of-a-kind, a great writer, and a master of many languages, with a wonderfully ironic and dark sense of humor. (He needed an appreciation of irony what with all the curve-balls life threw at him.) He taught be a great deal about courage, hard work, and not worrying about stupid stuff. I will miss him dearly.
Tom Hertz, Washington DC

Anonymous said...

SANDY GIMPEL
I didn't know about Erik's passing until today after the service. I am so sorry to have missed it. Erik had such an influence on my life. You see he was one of my first Karate teachers and proudly helped me get that first black belt. Without him beating me up in sparring class I probably wouldn't have be tough enough to have passed.He was a great influence on me. I looked forward to those classes. We had a family that trained together and much of us stayed in touch as friends.
Erik and I became friends because of Karate and worked together on a movie in Mexico "Imortal Combat" I was the stunt coordinator and he the producer. He would go back and forth to LA while we were shooting and make sure he would bring me back some protien bars so I had something to eat and not get sick.
I remember we had this major fire gag to do and I had no American safety people with me, so Erik got to be my safety person and put me out when I hit the ground totally on fire. I trusted him with my life and knew he would be so focused that I had nothing to worry about. I was right.
I saw Erik about five months ago and we talked about work and Ice Hockey I knew how his back alway hurt and how much he loved to play. A little pain never stopped him.
I will miss him greatly. My very best to his family and friends
Sandy

Anonymous said...

My love and support goes out to the family. The dedication, passion and tenacity with which Erik approached life was an inspiration to everyone who knew him. I am sorry I just learned the news and was not able to attend Monday's services.

My condolences,

Michael Blanks

Unknown said...

I am very sad to hear of Erik's passing. for at least 4 years, almost daily, I had Erik's guidence for my Karate training. We were the 'morning crew'. the things he said as he gave us the benefit of his knowledge in martial arts applied to 'life', and resonated with me all throughout the day and days to come. his approach to life and his commitment were something to aspire to. we took our blackbelt tests together, me for my first degree him for his 5th. It is in great part due to him that I achieved that in my life and I will forever be grateful to him for it,...and he knows it.

Anonymous said...

I was shocked by the news of Erik's passing and still can't believe it to this day. I still keep thinking he will walk through my office door and we will still talk about hockey and traveling to France and New York. Erik's tenacious and passionate attitude will always be with me. He was one of my greatest supporters throughout everything we faced hockey season after season. I appreciate everything he has done for me. He was truly a wonderful friend and colleague and will continue to always live in our hearts. My deepest condolensces and sympathies go out to all his family members and friends. Yours in Hockey!

Anonymous said...

Roger and I were so deeply saddened when we learned of Eriks passing. We have lost a great instructor and friend. We know we would not be the martial artists we are without his dedication, hard work and deep love for us and the art. We will miss him greatly and for anyone out there that had the opportunity to study under Erik, the BOND we all shared goes so deep.. we will never forget him. RIP Quai Cheh Nim.....

Anonymous said...

I met Erik 28 years ago in the first semester of my freshman year at Cornell. We were introduced by Mike Jackmin, my new best friend, who was Erik’s best friend from Ithaca High School. Erik was wearing his karate gi, on his way to or from martial arts class. I told Erik that I had just started taking Tae Kwan Do, and he responded by telling me how much Tae Kwan Do sucked and that I should study real karate instead. His style of karate.

I can remember Erik staring at me through the conversation, with those intense eyes, gauging me as though he were trying to decide if I was worthy enough to be Mike’s friend. After Erik left, Mike asked me what I thought, and I told him the truth: Erik kind of scared the crap out of me.

But over the next four years, I guess I kind of tried to be him.

Erik was a guy who could talk his way out of a tight spot with a cop just as easily as he could talk his way in with a girl. He spoke three languages fluently, played hockey, and he even knew how to cook. He was smart as hell and had an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure areas of knowledge – reptiles, medieval history, and the comedy of James Thurber.

And movies. Movies, movies, movies. We’d see anything. Every cheesy Chuck Norris and Steven Segal actioner and every Nightmare on Elm Street. It didn’t matter what. The point was just going to the theater, waiting for the lights to go down, and then getting lost in the words and images.

We were kindred spirits. He was like the older, way cooler brother that I never had.

We became roommates at Kappa Alpha, our fraternity, and Erik would steal my underwear and socks. (He did offer to return them, but I declined and swore we’d never be roommates again.) And because Kappa Alpha was a literary society, we would write – stories, essays, anything. Just because it was fun.

Erik’s power lay in his descriptions. His words could paint vivid and chilling scenes of eviscerations drawn from his admitted twisted imagination. But he could just as easily treat moments of sadness and deep feelings with gentle, self-deprecating humor – as anyone who’s read any of his more confessional emails can attest. I always thought he would’ve made one hell of a novelist.

Eventually, graduation came… and Erik decided that he was going to go to Hollywood to be a screenwriter. I thought he was insane – I mean, who writes movies for a living? But Erik applied for every entry level position at companies all over town… and got rejected by every one of them. He posted the ding letters on his door, almost as though it were a point of pride, and without a single solid prospect, he moved to LA, where he hustled his ass off and finally landed a job in the Universal mailroom. A year later, he came back for Homecoming and convinced Ron to go to LA and be a writer, too. Ron did, and slept on Erik’s floor for months. A few years later, when I realized I didn’t want to be an engineer, Ron convinced me to come out and be a writer as well. I slept on Ron’s couch.

So there I was in LA, sharing an apartment with that same old guy who was stealing my socks and underwear all over again. And going to karate and movies and hanging out with my best friends from college, all of which made it a whole lot easier to be in a new town. We shared our successes – me finding work in TV, Erik getting comics published and movies made. And after a few years, because Erik felt that I really needed a girlfriend, he and Ginger introduced me to the woman who’d become my wife.

The last several years were hard on Erik, filled with difficulties and disappointments. And in a great irony, I believe that many of the qualities that allowed him to approach physical activities with such single-minded discipline were the same qualities that kept getting in the way of his writing and his relationships.

But what I’ll remember about Erik is his courage and craziness and willingness to leap into the unknown, and his tenacity to keep on trying if things didn’t pan out. By his example, Erik gave me the confidence to do things I never would have done on my own. Without him I wouldn’t have my career or the love of my life, and for that I will always be grateful.

My life is better – so much better – for having been touched by his.

Anonymous said...

Erik was my very first karate instructor. As a new student it was a little scary at first because Erik would teach a class like a German drill sergeant! Some of the white belts were absolutely terrified. Underneath the tough exterior was an extraordinary man. You never saw anyone with so much character, loyalty and love for his friends, students and co workers. Erik used to tell us about his back pains once in a while but other than that he never complained about anything. He's one of the most diciplined people I know and he never let anything get in the way of his goals or routines. I always had the utmost respect for Erik and I know it was mutual. We shared the same dicipline, love for martial arts and the desire to be the best we could be. When Erik left the studio it was never the same. He tried to keep all of us connected but life tends to get in the way sometimes. I didn't see him for a long time and then all of a sudden I ran into him at 24-hr fitness. He mentioned he had some health issues but it didn't stop him from doing his cardio routine. We talked about working out together once a week at the gym just like old times. I was really excited because I felt I had come back to the beginning of the circle, this time we weren't teacher and student anymore. We were two black belts who respected each other and shared a very special bond.
It hurts that Erik is gone but he will live in my heart forever.

Linda J

Anonymous said...

I met Erik in 1982, when we were both being "rushed" by Kappa Alpha, the literary society (fraternity, if you like) that we would both eventually join.

We were freshmen at Cornell and I was floating in this wonderful soup of new faces and dreams of the future. Erik was with us, but he stood out, too. He was always more sure of himself than we were, it seemed. Maybe it was that he was from Ithaca and somehow knew the ropes better, but I think Erik's confidence came because he was Erik.

There was the way he looked at you. "Intensity", a lot of people commented. For me, that almost glaring stare of his would've been intimidating if it hadn't been attached to that smirk that at any moment could expand into a belly laugh. He liked me, and took me under his wing.

Though we were living at KA at Cornell, Erik was now a student across the valley, at Ithaca College. He was a film student, and thought I should cross-register and take a film class with him at IC. The Great American Novel wasn't going too well for me as an English major, so I went.

That class, Intro to Film Production, changed my life. I switched schools, and Erik and I were inseparable: we walked (yes, Erik liked to walk) all the way down one big hill and all the way up another to get to school every day, appeared in each other's films, and lived under the same roof.

I live in Pennsylvania now, still working in the business Erik introduced me to so long ago. Those days with Erik, Bill, Naren and everyone at KA lasted less than two years, but they figure large in my life. I remember them with great affection.

He always had a definite opinion on nearly every topic, including my love life. I clearly remember his observation about one of my romantic choices, "You can do better, Greg." Ultimately, he proved to be right, as he often was.

When I went to New York and Erik to LA, we didn't see much of each other. I saw him once in Los Angeles a few years later, and we took a walk. Not a short walk, either; he'd refused to submit completely to the car culture.

That may be his most enduring gift to me, the thing about him I try to emulate--his courage. We had infrequent contact in the last few years, but I'd heard about some health problems and the boom and bust career he'd been having.

Through it all, though, that old voice came through--the scrappy, confident, sarcastic, friend that I'm going to miss.

Respectfully,

Greg Addison, Easton, PA

Anonymous said...

I first met Erik in 1980 as a freshman at Cornell University. During those early years of our friendship, I learned of his many talents and interests, including his fluency in German and French, his knowledge of the natural world, his command of obscure facts from history, and his love of P.G. Wodehouse. We bonded over our shared devotion to Bugs Bunny cartoons, the Marx Bros., Bruce Lee, Woody Allen’s “Love & Death,” and, of course, the movie Erik often said sparked his interest to come to Hollywood: “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

I remember a visit to New York City, where he spontaneously decided to jump a subway turnstile. The transit cops appeared out of nowhere, but his quick talking kept him out of trouble. Another trip to Niagara Falls with Tom Hertz was memorable for the terrible Italian restaurant Erik chose, which lacked menus, hospitality and edible food. They even charged for water. In Niagara Falls.

It was always an adventure with Erik, whether in karate, on nature hikes, or playing "angry tough killed by a doorknob" in one of his student films. And those who lived in Kappa Alpha Literary Society's Cornell fraternity house in the mid-1980s will remember Erik's unique stint as "Cookie."

It took me 11 years to join Erik, Ron Moore and Naren Shankar in L.A., but I finally made it. Erik and I immediately resumed our weekly moviegoing habit, which we continued all the way to "Kung Fu Panda."

When I was a shy 17-year-old meeting him for the first time, his bravado impressed me more than anything, but looking back over his life, it is his irreverent sense of humor, especially in the face of painful set-backs, that I truly came to appreciate. After one such imbroglio, he wrote to me: "They say with age comes wisdom. I say they don't know what they're talking about, and need to be smacked in the mush with a large mackerel."

Erik, I miss you. The cats and Mr. Snake are well.

Anonymous said...

I worked with Erik about 5 years ago, and considered him a friend before, during, and after that tumultuous work experience. It had been about a year and half since we talked, though, and in trying to reach him this week--email not responded to, phones not working--started googling, and came across this sad, sad info. Erik and I had no other mutual friends, so I don't know who to contact for further info other than leaving a message here. If anyone is able to fill me in on what happened, I would greatly appreciate it. I am deeply saddened. He was a wonderful, wonderful guy, and one of the best eggs I ever came to know in Hollywood. I can be reached at dscw133 at aol dot com--u can email me there for a phone number as well. thank-you, and my deepest condolences to his family.

--Susan

Anonymous said...

Perhaps my email comes too late, but I wanted to leave a small note. Erik, I can still hear your laugh, it was the best. I saw some photos I took of you in the posters on this site and I smiled. I will always have a place in my heart for you and the fun times we. Jann

Laura said...

I miss Erik very much. It's hard to believe he's gone. It feels he's just temporarily out of reach, someplace much farther away to California. One thing about Erik is, when I talked to him I could always feel that blast of human connection. His words and spirit were always right there, intense. The other thing is, he was a true and loyal friend. Even after 20+ years of distance, I knew if I ever needed something, ever really needed something, he would be there for me. There's a poem that reminds me of him (by Pushkin):

Lived a knight once, poor and simple,
Pale of face with glance austere, Spare of speech, but with a spirit
Proud, intolerant of fear.
He had had a wondrous vision:
Ne'er could feeble human art
Guage its deep, mysterious meaning,
It was graven in his heart.
And since then his soul had quivered with an all-consuming fire...
etc...

And of course, there's that other poem that begins:
"I love my little Munchken,
Munchken's what I love
From the tips of her furry little toes
to her follicles above..."

And ends:
"In summation let me say
That I like her rather a lot;
Indeed, her only problem
Lies therin that her roommate is a snot."

My condolences to Ginger, to Erik's father and family, to Bill and the rest of Erik's true friends.

Anonymous said...

Dearest Erik...It's your birthday today...and I'm thinking of you, as I do every day...I still find it hard to accept that you're not here...but having the 'fellas' with me helps.
with my love always,
ginger

G2 Greg said...

On the night the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup, I was informed of Erik's passing. I hadn't seen Erik since I stopped playing hockey with him years ago(at Icoplex on the Monarchs). Although we occasionally butted heads, if not sticks and pads, I always admired his tremendous passion. I know he smiles tonight.

Greg Goldstein

Lisa said...

Happy Birthday, baby brother. I miss you.

Lisa said...

Another birthday I can't call you to wish you happy. Still miss you, baby brother.

Robin Levy Goetz said...

I always think about you on your birthday, dear Erik. Even though we only spent less than a year together, I have many fond memories of laughter and love. I am sure that your family and friends remember you with joy and smiles. I am no longer in touch with any of your friends so I don’t have anyone to share memories with. But you will always have a special place in my heart.

Christian Omlin said...

I met Erik in the 1970s while he attended high-school in Basel. I remember his arrival; he surely shook things up quite a bit. I remember him as a free, funny and generous and spirit.