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Howard Stern 'Wack Packer' Joey Boots died from an accidental heroin overdose. The Medical Examiner's Office in NYC tells TMZ it's determined his official cause of death is "acute heroin intoxication." The 49-year-old's body was found slumped over in a chair in his apartment on Dec. 23. Joey had openly discussed his battles with cocaine and crack addiction on the radio. After his death, some of Joey's friends told us they thought he was no longer using.

[[tmz:video id="0_wjouf4rj"]] Howard Stern "Wack Packer" Joey Boots had been dead for some time when he was discovered by his friend, who says he desperately tried to wake Joey up before realizing what had happened. High Pitch Erik tells TMZ he spoke with Joey Thursday, the night before his body was discovered ... and said he was battling a cold. Hpe describes the scene when they found Joey's body ... it's chilling. [[tmz:video id="0_nvkaghjw"]] Read more...

“Howard Stern Show” personality Joey Boots was found dead by a fellow “Wack Packer” during a live podcast and the audio is hard to listen to. Related: Former ’16 And Pregnant’ Star Valerie Fairman Found Dead In the audio, obtained by TMZ, a shaken High Pitch Erik reveals the news to his fellow podcast hosts after finding […]...

As we quickly creep up on on the final days of 2016, the world continues to lose beloved celebrities, making this year one of the worst in recent memory when it comes to famous deaths. Today, the radio world was hit hard with the news that beloved Howard Stern Wack Pack member Joseph Bassolino had died. The man was 49.

Better known as Joey Boots, Bassolino was a longtime member of the Howard Stern Show family, and one of the more popular Wack Pack members. A prominent member of the group who often toured outside the show, gathering big crowds wherever he went, the man succumbed to undisclosed caused. He is perhaps most famous for unleashing his iconic catch phrase on the world, 'Ba Ba Booey'. This was in reference to longtime Howard Stern producer Gary Dell'Abate.

According to Deadline, reports claim that Bassolino was found unresponsive at his New York apartment...

Joey Boots, a radio personality and member of “The Howard Stern Show’s” Wack Pack, was found dead in his apartment Friday by another member of the clique, High Pitch Erik — and the grisly discovery was aired live on a podcast. Boots, who was 49 and whose legal name was Joseph Bassolino, was best known for his catchphrase “Baba Booey,” often shouted during live news broadcasts to the delight of Stern’s loyal fans. He was a member of the Wack Pack, Stern’s motley crew of non-professional radio guests who have become pop culture personalities in their own right due to the popularity.

Joseph Bassolino, known publicly as Joey Boots, a prominent member of the group of The Howard Stern Show personalities called The Wack Pack, died Friday night from undisclosed causes. He was 49. According to multiple news outlets and various Facebook posts, Bassolino was discovered unresponsive in his apartment by friend and fellow Wack Pack member Erik “High Pitch Erik” Bleaman, who contacted Bassolino’s landlord after he failed to show for a gig. Bassolino reportedly…...

Joseph Bassolino, known publicly as Joey Boots, a prominent member of the group of The Howard Stern Show personalities called The Wack Pack, died Friday night from undisclosed causes. He was 49. According to multiple news outlets and various Facebook posts, Bassolino was discovered unresponsive in his apartment by friend and fellow Wack Pack member Erik “High Pitch Erik” Bleaman, who contacted Bassolino’s landlord after he failed to show for a gig. Bassolino reportedly…...

[[tmz:video id="0_nvkaghjw"]] Joey Boots' body was found by another Howard Stern 'Wack Packer' during a live podcast ... and the audio is heartbreaking. TMZ broke the story ... High Pitch Erik was sent to Joey's apartment after he no-showed for his podcast.  When Joey didn't answer the door, Erik got the building manager to check on Boots, and found him dead in a chair. You can hear Erik's voice quivering when he asks for the show to go...

Joey Boots -- one of Howard Stern's best known 'Wack Packers' -- has died in NYC ... TMZ has learned. A rep for the NYPD tells TMZ cops responded to Boots' Bronx apartment building at 9:45 Pm for a male in need of medical attention. We're told once emergency workers arrived, Boots was pronounced Doa. Cops tell us cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner. Fellow Wack Packer, High Pitch Erik, went...

[[tmz:video id="0_azk666wm"]] Howard Stern "Wack Packer" High Pitch Erik has a plan to bury the hatchet with Elephant Boy, but it's gonna create several months of awesome awkwardness on "The Howard Stern Show."  Erik showed up in a NYC court Thursday with his attorney Jeff Scaggs, and got the good news the judge would throw out his case ... If he stays out of trouble for 6 months. After court, High Pitch told us how he's gonna pull that off.

2 P.M. Pst -- We're told Eric will be discharged from the hospital within the next couple of hours ... docs say it was a case of too much stress being put on his body after the workout and therapy. Howard Stern "Wack Pack" member High Pitch Erik is in a NYC hospital after suffering symptoms of a possible heart attack. Joey Boots, Erik's friend and fellow 'Stern Show' veteran, tells TMZ ... Erik worked out with...

A New York City judge just ordered Howard Stern "Wack Packer" High Pitch Erik to steer clear from The Elephant Boy after allegedly threatening to kill him.  Erik's attorney, Jeff Scaggs, tells TMZ the judge issued a no-contact order Tuesday at his arraignment on one count of aggravated harassment. However, the order allows for "incidental" contact, meaning the two can still interact through public appearances or on 'The Stern Show.'  Scaggs tells us the...

[[tmz:video id="0_lq4k2kpt"]] Howard Stern got his Wack Pack back in line ... forcing Elephant Boy and High Pitch Eric to settle the beef that led to Eric's arrest. Stern skillfully negotiated a cease-fire on his show Monday morning. TMZ broke the story ... Eric got busted on Friday for threatening to kill Elephant Boy.  The feud was still simmering when Stern brought 'em together, but then made them offer olive branches, and promise to leave each other alone. Listen...

Howard Stern's "Wack Pack" crew member High Pitch Eric was picked up by cops Friday for allegedly threatening to kill fellow Packer The Elephant Boy. Sources tell us, Eric was arrested in Queens for threatening text messages to The Elephant Boy, including "You're a dead mother f***er I'll break your face and strangle you." Eric was busted for aggravated harassment and held for about hour before getting out. Eric tells us he became...

The timing was coincidental, but it made a lot of sense for Howard Stern to throw his massive 60th birthday concert at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom right around the same time as the Golden Globes, the State of the Union, the Super Bowl and the Grammys. In many ways, the evening felt like a combination of all those events: It had the all-star musical collaborations of the Grammys, the random grouping of A-list celebrities eating and drinking together that you usually only see at the Golden Globes, the chants, crazily-coveted...