Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk radio host, is “;resting comfortably”; in the Queen's Medical Center after suffering chest pains, his program said in a statement.

Limbaugh, whose show is heard on about 600 radio stations, was admitted yesterday, according to the statement. He “;appreciates your prayers and well wishes,”; it said.

Paramedics took Limbaugh, 58, to Queen's after responding to a 2:41 p.m. call at the Kahala Hotel and Resort, KITV reported. He was sitting in a chair in his ninth-floor room when emergency crews arrived and told them he was taking medication for a back problem, the station said.

Queen's spokeswoman N. Makana Shook said the hospital was unable to comment on the report.

Erin Kealoha, spokeswoman for the Hawaii Republican Party, said Limbaugh had been on vacation in Hawaii for about a week and was in Kona earlier. Limbaugh was seen golfing at Waialae Country Club earlier this week, KITV reported.

For privacy reasons, hotel spokeswoman Sheila Donnelly Theroux said she was unable to acknowledge that Limbaugh is a guest.

In 2001, Limbaugh reported he had lost most of his hearing due to an autoimmune inner-ear disease. He had surgery to restore his hearing.

Two years later, Limbaugh acknowledged he was addicted to pain medicine. He blamed the addiction on severe back pain, and took a five-week leave from his radio show to enter rehab. Rachel Nelson, a spokeswoman for Clear Channel Communications Inc.'s Premiere Radio Networks, which syndicates Limbaugh's show, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment after business hours.