The “Howard Stern Show” is paying tribute to Ralph Cirella, Howard Stern’s longtime friend and stylist on his SiriusXM radio show.
“’It just seems impossible that he is gone,'” reads a caption posted alongside a series of pictures of Cirella on the show’s Instagram account Wednesday.
“Bye for now, Ralph ❤️,” it concluded.
Stern, 69, announced Cirella died Tuesday morning after his “heart gave out” in the middle of a medical procedure he was receiving as he battled a “curable” form of “rare” lymphoma. He was 58.
“Ralph developed an illness, but I really feel he got involved a little too late because the illness he got was curable and was treatable, but he had some complications of waiting too long, and I got very upset with him,” Stern revealed on his show Wednesday.
Ralph Cirella attends Howard Stern’s “Geektime” Live Broadcast from Comic Con 2014 at Hilton Bayfront on July 26, 2014, in San Diego. Getty Images“I think this is the toughest part of loving someone — when you lose them/ Lord knows I loved Ralph.”
“I was not ready for Ralph to go,” he heartbrokenly continued. “I was not expecting Ralph to die.”
“I just have been so sad and so angry,” the broadcaster said, admitting he is taking the loss “very hard.”
“He didn’t take care of himself,” Stern added about his pal of more than 40 years.
Cirella was 58. John Stamos/Instagram The duo posed for a selfie in 2013. Howard Stern/TwitterThe Post previously contacted reps for Stern for comment.
Stern credited Cirella for getting him to leave the house and go to a party where he would meet his now-wife, Beth Ostrosky.
“My wife said to me last night, ‘You and Ralph have a secret language’ and it’s true … we had a great chemistry, and we had a great friendship, and Ralph was one of my bros. In fact, I came to think of Ralph as family.”
Howard Stern speaks onstage during the SiriusXM Next Generation: Industry Press Preview at the Tisch Skylights at the Shed on Nov. 8 in New York City. Getty ImagesCirella is also the reason Stern starts every episode with “hey now,” as Cirella would repeat the famous line from “The Larry Sanders Show.”
Cirella first entered Stern’s orbit when he called into his WNBC radio show in 1985. The fan-turned-employee was then hired to construct a penis puppet for Stern’s New Year’s Eve event, which led to a special effects gig on Stern’s late-night variety show, the Channel 9 Show.
He also worked as Stern’s personal assistant and was later promoted to wardrobe consultant and then set designer.
One of the photos of Cirella the Howard Stern Show shared on Instagram. Stern Show/Instagram“Ralph was a trustworthy, dear friend who made me laugh every time I was with him,” Stern said Wednesday.
John Stamos is also grieving the loss of Cirella, whom he met on the set of the Channel 9 Show.
“Ralph wasn’t just a friend; he was family,” the “Full House” star wrote in his own Instagram tribute.
“When met in the old days where he worked his magic as a makeup artist for Howard Stern’s Channel 9 show. I can vividly recall how he transformed Howard into a perfect replica of Larry King, showcasing his exceptional talent and creativity,” he continued. “From the day forward, we were life long friends, I just wished he lived longer.”
