Rough few days for friends of Howard Stern. First, minion Benjy Bronk was threatened with physical harm after interrupting Anthony Weiner's farewell announcement.
Now, one of the show's favorite musical guests, guitarist Leslie West, has just undergone an emergency amputation to, in the words of his reps, "save his life."
According to a statement from his reps, West, 65, had flown in to Mississippi over the weekend to perform with his band, Mountain.
On Sunday, his leg began to swell. Because he is diabetic, West was immediately taken to the emergency room, where he made "the decision to go through an amputation in order to save his life," publicist Steve Karas and manager Bob Ringer said in a joint statement. The limb was amputated to the knee.
"Surgery was a success," the said.
West is expected to recover but faces an arduous physical rehabilitation.
As leader of Mountain, West scored hits with "Mississippi Queen" and "Theme for an Imaginary Western." Aside from his numerous apperances on Stern's radio show, West also served as musical director for Stern's TV show, and worked extensively with the late Sam Kinison.