Howard Stern on Bob Schimmel's death: 'I guess I have regrets'

Howard Stern says he's got regrets about avoiding a phone call to comedian Bob Schimmel in the months before his death.

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Stern made the statement on Tuesday morning's Howard Stern Show, which opened with an hour long discussion of Schimmel's passing.

"I guess I have regrets," said Stern.  "The last time Bob was here was in January and he walked in and he was sick.  He told us he needed a liver transplant and he hadn't announced it anywhere.  He was moving back in with his parents.  His wife was divorcing him--the young wife, ya know.  Everything was going wrong and I thought to myself as he was going out the door, I remember I called him back in here and I  'Bob! Bob!'  I felt like it's the last time I was gonna see him.  I was talking to Beth about this over the weekend.  I've been so f---ing depressed about this.  I just knew in January that it would be the last time I'd see see him.  And I have to say, since January, over the last couple of months in particular, I'd say: 'Hmm.  I should give Bob Schimmel a call.  See how he's doing.'"

Schimmel made the announcement that he was in need of a liver transplant during his January 2010 appearance on the Howard Stern Show.  Schimmel contracted Hepatitis C from a tainted blood transfusion he received while serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

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Things were looking bleak for Bob Schimmel long before the car accident that ultimately claimed his life on Friday.

"He was living in Arizona with his parents," said Howard Stern.  "I mean, here's a guy who was successful touring.  He couldn't tour anymore because of his health and now he was moving back in with his parents because of all the divorces.  He was low on money.  He was supporting five kids.  I mean, he created his own nightmare, but nevertheless he was in bad shape.  And I know, the one thing that could always bail him out is he'd go on the road and make a lot of money because he's that good a comic.  He had a tremendous reputation."

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"My regret is," said Stern.  "And this is me, is that I never actually picked up the phone to see how Bob was doing...A lot of times I don't pick up the phone, because I feel like Bob was going to make a request of me, or ask me something so it sort of prevents me from picking up the phone and calling someone, and I  gotta really work on that.  If Bob had asked me for anything I wouldn't have said no, so therefore I don't call, cause I"m one of these guys who can't say no.  And so I sit there and I rationalize: 'I'll him next week.  I'll call him next week.'  And I never called him."

Howard Stern secondary Sirius XM channel Howard 101 was scheduled to run a one-hour tribute to Robert Schimmel at 7:00PM Eastern time Tuesday.

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