PORT ST. LUCIE — Friends of Rusty Staub were requesting prayers for the Mets icon on Friday, as he battles kidney failure in a West Palm Beach hospital.

The 73-year-old Staub, a popular player in two stints with the Mets, has not been responding to dialysis, according to a friend.

Staub usually attends the New York Baseball Writers’ dinner each January, but was absent from the event this year because of health.

Staub suffered a heart attack in October 2015 on a flight home from Ireland and was revived by two doctors on board. The plane returned to Ireland, where Staub was hospitalized before he was transported home.

Staub played 23 seasons in the major leagues and is most remembered by Mets fans for his role on the 1973 NL pennant-winning team, when he hit three homers in the NLCS and then went 11-for-26 in the World Series.

“Fred and Jeff Wilpon have been in contact with Rusty to wish him well,” the Mets said in a statement. “In addition, multiple people in our organization have also been in contact with Rusty. All of us wish Rusty and his loved ones well in his courageous battle.”

In addition to still being an occasional presence with the Mets, Staub has spent much of his retirement helping to raise money for the families of fallen police officers and firemen.

Staub, a six-time All-Star, also played for Houston, Montreal, Detroit and Texas. He finished his career with 2,716 hits.

His time with the Mets got off to a good start before Staub was hit by a pitch in June 1972, which cost him most of the season. When he was healthy, Staub was one of the team’s most productive hitters.

It’s just the latest bit of recent bad news for a former Met, as Buddy Harrelson is suffering from Alzheimer’s, Ed Kranepool has also been battling kidney disease and Tom Seaver has Lyme Disease. Gary Carter died of cancer in 2012.