Michael Skrzypcak (September 24, 1954 – February 19, 1988) best known by his stage name Eric Stryker, was an American gay pornographic performer and model. He was known for his handsome blond features and his muscular physique. He also performed as Noel Kemp for Colt Studio, Mike Kelly, Mike Saunders and, Michael John Saunders.Noel Kemp/Colt Studio, model profile as Noel Kemp at Gay Erotic Archives.Eric Stryker, model profile as Eric Stryker at Gay Erotic Archives. In 1984, shortly after his lover died from

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

, Stryker was diagnosed with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

. His response was to focus his activities away from the life of a porn star and become an activist for AIDS awareness. Stryker continued his studies in architecture at Woodbury University and his regular workouts. As he put it, "I live for the day." He worked with the AIDS Couples Group and lectured around the country for the AIDS Project Los Angeles. In 1987, he appeared in the documentary ''It Starts with A'', his last film appearance. In his last public appearance, his body showing the effects of

Kaposi's sarcoma Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a type of cancer that can form masses in the skin, in lymph nodes, in the mouth, or in other organs. The skin lesions are usually painless, purple and may be flat or raised. Lesions can occur singly, multiply in a limite ...

, he marched in the Christopher Street West parade in Los Angeles in a tank top and shorts, becoming one of the early persons with the disease to publicly display its symptoms. On February 19, 1988, he died of AIDS at Sherman Oaks Community Hospital.Graham Thompson, ''American culture in the 1980s'', pp. 96-7, Edinburgh University Press, 2007, , . He was 33.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stryker, Eric American male pornographic film actors 1954 births 1988 deaths AIDS-related deaths in California American actors in gay pornographic films Woodbury University alumni LGBT pornographic film actors American LGBT actors LGBT people from Pennsylvania Pornographic film actors from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American LGBT people People from Erie, Pennsylvania

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