Howard Stern is back from his annual summer vacation, but his return coincided with a somber occasion. His first show back was largely dedicated to his father Ben Stern, who passed away over the summer. Here’s what the legendary radio host had to say.
Howard And Ben Stern
Any listener of the Howard Stern Show will be familiar with his parents Ben and Ray Stern. Ben served in the army before becoming a radio engineer in Manhattan. He eventually became the co-owner and operator at a recording studio called Aura Recording. It’s easy to see how Howard would be surrounded by radio all his life. Howard frequently spoke about his upbringing—initially as a punchline, but later in serious discussions around therapy.
Howard Comes back With Bad News
Ever since he went to SiriusXM, Howard’s enjoyed the luxury of taking months off over the summer. The day after Labor Day, Howard came back on the air to discuss his father. “My father, as it turned out, had prostate cancer and it has metastasized to his bones,” Howard says.
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The Private Parts star told a telling anecdote from his father’s last days. “My family is very strange. I’ve given you glimpses and I’ve always made jokes about it. But I remember I went to my mother and I said to her, ‘Mom, I think you should go visit dad at the hospice—he’s dying.’ She’s like, ‘No, no, I’m not going.’ She didn’t want to go. I said, ‘You’re going to regret this. You should go. Do it for me.’ That still didn’t move her.”
It wasn’t until Howard’s daughter Ashley got involved that Ray decided to visit her husband. “My mother got dressed, she went over to see my dad, spent an hour over at the hospice. A couple of hours later, my father was dead.” It’s common for loved ones to hang on through a final hospital visit before passing away, and this case was no exception.
A Wistful Time
Much of the broadcast was spent reminiscing about Ben. Howard spoke about his father’s glass eye, which was the result of surgery in his youth. While everyone in the family knew the story, it wasn’t something they prodded for details about.
“You didn’t ask my father anything,” says Howard. “He could blow up.” He also discussed his father’s hobbies and favorite foods.
Howard is never one to keep his feelings to himself, so you can expect more stories about Ben on the show for some time to come.