Eric Lowen

My dear friend Eric Lowen, a beautiful soul with a voice like an angel and a fighting spirit like few I have ever known. Eric was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, in 1994 and he was determined to fight and keep moving forward. He continued to write and perform and tour with this longtime partner Dan Navarro. He married his fiancee Kim, merged her three kids with his two into one big, happy, supportive family. As the ALS gradually robbed him of his body, he had to give up instruments one by one. This was one of the last concerts he was able to play mandolin for, and it was the last Lowen & Navarro concert at our theatre. Eventually he had to give up guitar and just sing. But it got to the point where touring was just too much for him, so, in 2009, he and Dan performed their farewell concert as a duo and Eric retired from the road to concentrate on raising 5 kids and spending what time he had left not only with his family, but helping to raise awareness of ALS. He passed away in 2012, beating all predictions made when he was first diagnosed. He was a hero to many of us, in addition to being a friend. Olympus E-1, Zuiko 14-54mm