The Last Viking

Erik Bye was a writer, entertainer, TV personality, and easily, in the sixties and the seventies, the most popular man around. He was born in New York to Norwegian parents who later went back to live there, while their son Erik went back to the USA to finish his education. On returning to Norway, he wrote a book about his experiences crisscrossing the USA. The travel book was a best-seller in Scandinavia and the book was also translated into English. Erik also wrote some other books and many songs about the seas As a journalist interviewing people from the masses he was superb at getting them to open up and tell their story. His own untold story was his battle with the booze Oslo, in the sixties, was difficult to find a place to drink on Sundays, he and his drinking cronies bought flight tickets to Denmark, and could sit in the international lounge, drink, and miss the plane. He was also a prolific songwriter, many of his songs have been published in book form Erik Bye was, in his lifetime, a big, imposing figure It looks like the way we think Vikings appeared Alas, his health took a beating; the alcohol spares none after several hospital stays, he passed away at 78