Eric is dead.

… Or is he? Who is he? Where is he? Is he even really a he? I should back up. City Editor Brianna here, and for the past year or so, I’ve been captivated and intrigued by three words — sometimes in another language, but always with the same meaning — artfully written or posted around Chattanooga: “Eric is dead.”

Whether you’ve seen them or not, they’re everywhere. The first time I saw it was in Cooper’s Alley, but the words are also sprawled across buildings near The Bitter Alibi, the Chattanooga Choo Choo, and on stickers placed in local bars + poles around town.

And I’m not the only one — you guys have started to get curious, too. Check out these interesting theories from the Chattanooga subreddit.

So, after doing a bit of digging + talking with folks around town, I was able to contact the artist and meet up with them.

The artist wanted to remain anonymous and keep the mystery alive, so I won’t be doing a grand reveal of who they are, but I will share some of the facts that I was able to get about the prolific artwork:

The artist started putting up the “Eric is dead/Eric est mort” writing during the pandemic when, as many artists did, they had plenty of free time.
The idea behind “Eric is dead” is that many artists don’t get appreciated until they’re dead. In this way, the words allow the artist to “get [their] flowers now.”
The artist’s favorite kind of art is random words written on walls — they were inspired by the old local graffiti legend of Twisty.
They’re also behind lots of the artwork + design in the newly-opened Boneyard Bar in Southside.
They love street art because it’s accessible to everyone, and because its meaning is up for any interpretation — that’s also why they love the mystery behind “Eric is dead.”

Oh, and yeah, they’ve seen the Reddit thread; their favorite theory is “it's a sad lonely little man's big ego booster.”

“That person must, like, actually know who I am.”

By the St. George Hotel, across from the Choo Choo | Photo by NOOGAtoday

Next to The Bitter Alibi | Photo by NOOGAtoday

In Cooper's Alley (written in cursive in red on the box in the right corner) | Photo by NOOGAtoday

City Editor Brianna with her new sticker courtesy of the artist | Photo by NOOGAtoday