Orlando Shooting Victim 'Top Hat Eddie' Remembered for Turning Strangers Into Family

• Photo Provided by Jason Howell | Howell, as his drag queen persona Lindsey Devereaux, with Eddie Sotomayor

BLUE ISLAND, IL — If you ever needed to find Edward Sotomayor, you need only to have looked for the black top hat bobbing among the crowd. 

That hat, and Sotomayor's hands-on, helpful demeanor are among the most memorable traits about the 34-year-old Florida man, one of the first confirmed victims in the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Sotomayor was a national brand coordinator for ALandCHUCK Travel, a travel agency for the gay community. It was on a cruise organized by Sotomayor that he and Jason Howell, owner of gay bar Club Krave in Blue Island, first met. 

Howell was immediately drawn to Sotomayor — like so many others were — and the two maintained a friendship that spanned states and stretches of time in between encounters. 

"Everybody always knew who he was," Howell said. "He had a smile that lit up the room. He just did everything for everybody. He wasn’t an owner or a partner of the company, he was just a representative, but everybody turned to him for everything. He just had that problem-solving capability about him."

Sotomayor's influence stretched far beyond the decks of the "Drag Stars at Sea" cruises. Howell has seen customers trickle into his south suburban bar after hearing about it on the ship, something he calls a clear example of the type of unity and support Sotomayor created. His outgoing and welcoming nature set travelers at ease, Howell said, encouraging them to connect with each other. 

"When you put together an event like this, and you put all these people on a boat together for seven or 10 days ... he has created long-lasting friendships. I have met 20, 30, 50 people because of this cruise," Howell said. 

"He has created families. There are people who live down the street from me or a town over that come to my bar, that I’ve never met before and it all has to do with the cruise. … the amount of love and support, all from a vacation? That’s unheard of."

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After Howell performed as a guest female impersonator aboard the ship, Sotomayor invited him back and "made sure I got my chance in the spotlight," he said. 

"He was always promoting. ... He loved what he did. He loved the community. He was out there, he was the face," Howell said. "People reached out to him, they looked up to him, looked at him for guidance. No matter how small or big the problem was, he would always try to find the answer."

Word of his passing spread slowly via social media Sunday morning, and Howell refused to believe it at first. News of his death has been heartbreaking. 

"It’s amazing the response, the posts that you see everywhere on social media," Howell said. "You can tell how much he impacted people’s lives. People are left feeling empty. It’s hit a lot of people really hard. 

"Someone who was so loving, caring, generous, who always put a smile on your face. When you lose someone who was this bright and shining star, I think he’s made people realize that life is way too short."

Al Ferguson, owner of ALandCHUCK Travel, took to social media to grieve.

"How do I discuss this? What do I say? How do I even start? I wish it was a dream. But it's a nightmare. Facing an empty desk with his work from Friday. Today he was launching Cuba cruise 2017," he wrote on Monday. "I am heartbroken and don't know where to start. I have always been the guy that knew what to do. Support. Organize. But today. Geez. I don't know even where to start."