UPDATE At END: Talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh announced he has advanced lung cancer, telling his audience during Monday’s broadcast that he will miss several days this week, due to treatment. He said he started not feeling well, with shortness of breath, around his 69th birthday, on January 12, and that the diagnosis was confirmed by two medical institutions on January 20. The top rated nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh Show is in its 31st year.

Limbaugh is a former cigarette smoker who continued to smoke cigars after quitting. Limbaugh lost hearing in both ears twenty years ago. He had cochlear implants which enable him to hear, first in his left ear in 2000, and in his right ear in 2014.

Limbaugh said he told his staff earlier today and said he felt like he was “letting everybody down with this”.

Limbaugh added later about his conversation with his staff that he told them he has a “deeply personal relationship with God that I do not proselytize about. But I do, and I have been working that relationship, tremendously, which I do regularly anyway, but I’ve been focused on it intensely for the past couple of weeks.”

Rush Limbaugh informs his audience of advanced lung cancer diagnosis, screen image .

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UPDATE: Video of Rush telling his audience:

UPDATE: YouTube video pulled. Excerpt of announcement posted to Twitter:

https://twitter.com/PolishPatriotTM/status/1224428010784415749

Rush Limbaugh just announced on his radio program he has been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Says there will be days he won't be able to be there due to treatment… — Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) February 3, 2020

"Every day I'm not here, I'll be missing you and thinking about you," Limbaugh said as he signed off. He also said he hopes to be back on Thursday. — Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) February 3, 2020

Long time Rush Limbaugh Show call screener James Golden, aka Bo Snerdly, asked for prayers, “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.”

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. — Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) February 3, 2020

UPDATE: A transcript of Limbaugh’s announcement was posted at RushLimbaugh.com.

Excerpt:

…It’s a struggle for me because I had to inform my staff earlier today. I can’t escape… Even though people are telling me it’s not the way to look at it, I can’t help but feel that I’m letting everybody down with this. But the upshot is that I have been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, diagnosis confirmed by two medical institutions back on January 20th. I first realized something was wrong on my birthday weekend, January 12th. I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, and I thought about not telling anybody. I thought about trying to do this without anybody knowing, ’cause I don’t like making things about me. But there are going to be days that I’m not gonna be able to be here because I’m undergoing treatment or I’m reacting to treatment, and I know that that would inspire all kinds of curiosity with people wondering what’s going on. And the worst thing that can happen is when there is something going on and you try to hide it and cover it up. It’s eventually gonna leak, and then people are gonna say, “Why didn’t you just say it? Why’d you try to fool everybody? ” It’s not that I want to fool anybody. It’s just that I don’t want to burden anybody with it, and I haven’t wanted to. But it is what it is. You know me; I’m the mayor of Realville. So this has happened, and my intention is to come here every day I can and to do this program as normally and as competently and as expertly as I do each and every day, because that is the source of my greatest satisfaction professionally, personally. I’ve had so much support from family and friends during this that it’s just been tremendous. I told the staff today that I have a deeply personal relationship with God that I do not proselytize about. But I do, and I have been working that relationship (chuckles) tremendously, which I do regularly anyway, but I’ve been focused on it intensely for the past couple of weeks. …But we’ve got a great bunch of doctors, a great team assembled. We’re at full-speed ahead on this, and it’s just now a matter of implementing what we are gonna be told later this week. So I’ll be back here. I hope I’ll be back Thursday. If not, it will be as soon as I can — and know that every day I’m not here, I’ll be thinking about you and missing you. Thank you very much.

End excerpt. Please read the complete transcript at RushLimbaugh.com