Artie Lange had all the makings of a great comedian along the likes of his idol John Belushi. Both Lange and Belushi have/had great comedic timing. They also share something else, a love of drugs. Lange got fired from the television show MadTV in 1997 and the Howard Stern show in 2010.
Now it looks like Artie is continuing on his downward spiral. Lange's mom admits doctors are worried about his deteriorating condition. Struggling substance abuse addict Artie Lange sent fans into a frenzy on December 6 when he unexpectedly cancelled his appearance on the Artie and Anthony Show. While the former Howard Stern sidekick blamed the flu for his absence, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively it’s his uphill battle with drugs that’s causing him to cancel on his podcast and other shows.
His mother, Judy Lange, revealed the truth about her son’s constant troubles exclusively to Radar, saying: “Artie has to take care of a few things. He’s got diabetes, so that doesn’t help. He’s okay, as much as he can be. But he is fighting addiction — trying to get through that, and hopefully he will.”
As fans know, followers of the comedian became skeptical of the 50-year-old’s excuse to cancel his appearance when he said he took antibiotics as a remedy — a medication that only fights bacteria, not viruses.
As Radar previously reported, Lange was hospitalized multiple times this year due to drug related issues. As recent as October, Lange cancelled a show in Akron, Ohio after having to make an emergency trip to the hospital for a blood sugar problem. In July, he was hospitalized for days following emergency open heart surgery.
Godspeed funny man Artie Lange. Please don't end up like John Belushi or Chris Farley. Artie Lange is a cat and he is on his ninth life...
It really is sad, his fall. His own fault, to be sure, but sad nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteWhen he took over "the Jackie chair" on "The Howard Stern Show", he was a welcome addition to the annoyingly greedy (but also funny) Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling. Artie's sharp impressions (especially Jeff "The Drunk" Currow), quick wit, and pointed commentary on current affairs quickly made him a favorite of mine.
He is so smart, so funny ... and, unfortunately, too weak to get through this. I wish him all the best, but I'm not optimistic. I think the real surprise is that he's still among us. If you've ever read his books, it sounds very much like he's trying to kill himself with drugs. I hope he fails.