Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh announced Monday he has advanced lung cancer and will miss the next two days of his nationally syndicated program as he undergoes treatment.
Limbaugh, 69, told his audience about the diagnosis as he ended his three-hour program. He said he had recently experienced shortness of breath and consulted doctors who discovered the cancer.
"I have to tell you something today that I wish I didn't have to tell you," Limbaugh said. "I can't help but feel that I'm letting everybody down with.
"The upshot is that I have been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer."
Limbaugh's call screener and producer James Golden, who goes by the moniker "Bo Snerdley" on the air, tweeted immediately following the announcement:
"Those of you who are listening to the Rush Limbaugh show now. Pray with us. Thank you. God Bless you Rush Limbaugh. Love you so much Rush."
"Every day I'm not here, I'll be missing you and thinking about you," Limbaugh said he ended his show.
Limbaugh is considered the most influential conservative talk radio host in the country, having reshaped the genre when his national show debuted more than three decades ago. He has long been a go-to for Republican politicians seeking to get their message out to everyday Americans.
He recently signed a new long-term contract that was touted by President Donald Trump at a rally in Miami on Friday.
"We have great people," Trump said. "Rush just signed another four-year contract. He just wants four more years, OK?"
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