Report: Rush Limbaugh taken to Hawaii hospital

HONOLULU (AP) - Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh was taken to a hospital after suffering chest pains and was resting comfortably Wednesday, his radio program said in a statement.

"Rush was admitted to and is resting comfortably in a Honolulu hospital today after suffering chest pains," the statement said. "Rush appreciates your prayers and well wishes and will keep you updated via rushlimbaugh.com and on his radio program."

Kit Carson, Limbaugh's chief of staff, said he had no further information on Limbaugh's condition.

He said the 58-year-old left for his usual Christmas vacation on Dec. 23 and is due to return to his show on Jan. 4. Carson didn't have any information on whether that schedule would change.

Limbaugh's three-hour weekday show is heard on some 600 radio stations across the country, and more than 14 million people listen to him at least once a week.

Honolulu television station KITV reported Wednesday that paramedics took Limbaugh to The Queens Medical Center in serious condition from the Kahala Hotel and Resort.

Limbaugh was seen golfing at Waialae Country Club - a country club next to the hotel - earlier this week, KITV said.

Americans said in a poll last month that Limbaugh was America's most influential conservative voice.

With his sarcastic putdowns of liberal policies, off-color parodies and bombastic self-promotion, he began capturing conservative listeners in the 1980s and grew to become the highest-rated radio broadcaster in the U.S. Recently, he's found a renewed purpose and has boosted ratings by railing against Barack Obama's presidency.

In 2001, Limbaugh reported he had lost most of his hearing due to an autoimmune inner-ear disease. He had surgery to have an electronic device placed in his skull to restore his hearing.

Two years later Limbaugh acknowledged he was addicted to pain medicine. He blamed the addiction on severe back pain, and took a five-week leave from his radio show to enter rehab.