NEW ORLEANS — When news of Eric Paulsen's passing reached the viewers, messages immediately started flowing in and that's because morning after morning thousands started their day with Eric. Whether it was because of his boisterous laugh or his trusted voice, many kept tuning in.
"I have watched Eric Paulson from the time he came on and when I heard he passed, I could not believe it. We loved him very much. He was such an intelligent man and very good news reporter. We will miss him dearly," one viewer said when they left a voicemail for the WWL Louisiana newsroom.
Many watched for years, like viewer Adam Weller, who says he's now 54 years old. In a message to WWL Louisiana, he said he "felt a great void the day [Eric Paulsen] left" and "was in shock not to see him anymore."
"Gosh, what a great person he was," Weller wrote.
Even throughout his memorable stories and moments of pushing people for answers, Paulsen became more than a newscaster. His personality and warm presence made viewers feel like he too was family.
"He will truly be missed by everyone. He came into my home every morning and blessed my life," one viewer said in a voicemail.
He was instantly welcomed into viewers' homes, like Teresa Furchey's. She wrote to us to say when she moved to Louisiana 41 years ago she fell in love with Paulsen almost immediately.
"I can't think of a time he wasn't part of my life and my family's," Fruchey wrote.
Eric made a lasting impression, and that impression crossed the country. One viewer who wrote to us to express condolences has never even lived, or visited New Orleans. Nick Hedrick lives in Western Indiana but stumbled upon WWL Louisiana and kept tuning in during times like Hurricane Ida.
"Even a 12-hour car ride away from Rampart Street, well outside the direct impacts of the storm, his presence was reassuring," Hedrick wrote.
Paulsen's presence crossed the country, generations and the TV screen. It's one that the community will never forget.
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