Page Six

Page Six: Stern sidekick Lange in suicide attempt

Howard Stern alluded to, but did not read this morning a report from the New York Post's Page Six detailing a suicide attempt by his on-air sidekick/stand-up the comedian Artie Lange.

From the Page Six item, posted early this morning:

"Troubled comic Artie Lange landed in the hospital after stabbing himself nine times in an apparent suicide attempt, sources told The Post. Lange's frantic mom called 911 Saturday morning after she entered his Hoboken apartment and found the bloodied funnyman, a law-enforcement source said. Lange sustained six "hesitation wounds" and three deep plunges. A source close to Lange's management team confirmed that the Howard Stern sidekick stabbed himself, adding that his mother had come to visit him that day to drop off food. Surgeons managed to save Lange despite heavy bleeding."

At first Stern said he would read the item, then changed his mind several times before deciding not to read it.

"I'm sorry. I just feel sick about this, I don't know what to do."

Stern talked about Lange and his situation for about 15 minutes. He referred to Lange's troubles with substance abuse (the cause of his absence from the show since early December) and reminisced about his early appearances on the show - at times sounding like he was eulogizing his sidekick, before saying "I don't want this to sound like a eulogy."