Jeffrey Ufberg/Getty Images, RJ Capak/ Getty Images, Howard Stern may be the King of All Media, but he's not without humility when it comes to his ailing sidekick.
Artie Lange was hospitalized in New Jersey over the weekend and Stern has no intention of shedding light on the situation. Per PhillyBurbs.com, he told Sirius Satellite Radio listeners Monday morning that he plans to respect Lange's family's wishes and leave it to them to make official comments.
However, he wasn't shy about sharing his thoughts on the man himself. In fact, he's even plotting a compilation of Lange's great moments to air on the radio show later this week.
"We all have our demons," the Private Parts star said, referring to Lange's battles with addiction. "Artie has given this show tremendous moments of great comedy. He's a tremendous contributor. He is a good man. Don't forget how great he is."
"[He] is the most loving guy, always giving," cohost Robin Quivers added.
If that doesn't sound ominous enough, Stern vehemently dispelled rumors that the funnyman had quit the show and would be replaced by Jim Breuer.
"Absolutely false," Stern said. "I don't know where that comes from."
He also stands by his man to negative Internet chatter, saying that posts on message boards made him "want to vomit."
No further updates on Lange's health status have been released.
(Originally published on Jan. 4, 2010, at 6:14 a.m. PT)
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