Rush Limbaugh was hospitalized in Hawaii Wednesday following chest pains and was “resting comfortably,” the talk radio luminary's program said in a statement.
"Rush appreciates your prayers and well wishes and will keep you updated via rushlimbaugh.com and on his radio program," the statement read.
Kit Carson, Limbaugh's chief of staff, told The Associated Press the right wing talker was vacationing in Hawaii and had been set to return to his radio broadcast on Jan. 4. Carson said he did not know how the health scare would Limbaugh's plans and did not offer any other updates on his condition.
KITV in Honolulu first reported that paramedics had responded to a call at 2:41 p.m. at the Kaala Hotel and Resort, found Limbaugh sitting in a chair in his ninth-floor hotel room then rushed him to The Queens Medical Center.
Sources told the TV station Limbaugh had said he was taking meds for a back problem and would be staying overnight at the hospital.
Limbaugh had been spotted golfing at a country club adjacent to the Kaala Hotel earlier this week, according to KITV.
The 58-year-old controversial talker garners the industry’s top ratings and has been dubbed America’s most influential conservative voice by a November 2009 poll, the AP reported. He earns an estimated $50 million each year, according to the New York Daily News.
On weekdays, Limbaugh’s biting parodies and three-hour rants against liberals are heard on about 600 stations nationwide, the AP reported. More than 14 million people tune in at least once on any given week.
Limbaugh also has a history of health problems.
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In 2001, Limbaugh told his listeners he had lost most of his hearing from an autoimmune inner-ear disease, and underwent surgery to install a hearing device.
Two years later, Limbaugh copped to an addiction to pain meds he said he took for severe back pain. He then took a five-week hiatus from his radio show to enter rehab.
In 2006, Limbaugh was charged with doctor shopping for prescription drugs but later cut a deal with Florida prosecutors to have his record expunged, according to the Daily News.