Stylist and makeup artist Ralph Cirella died on Tuesday at the age of 58 after treatment for a rare form of lymphoma.
Howard Stern announced the death of his longtime friend and stylist on his SiriusXM radio show, The Howard Stern Show, on Wednesday morning. Stern (69) added that Cirella was undergoing the procedure when his “heart failed.”
“Ralph was a reliable, dear friend who made me laugh every time I was with him,” the presenter said.
The episode was a tribute to Cirella, who Stern has known for four decades and has appeared several times on the show in the past. Stern revealed that he had a conversation with his late friend the night before he died, where the two discussed “treatable and curable” cancer and had hope for the future.
“I think that’s the hardest part of loving someone — when you lose them,” Stern said. “God knows I loved Ralph. My wife said to me last night, ‘You and Ralph have a secret language’ and it’s true… we had great chemistry and a great friendship and Ralph was one of my brothers. In fact, I’ve come to think of Ralph as family.”
Tribute to celebrities who died in 2023
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“I was so sad and so angry,” the star continued. “He didn’t take care of himself.”
The radio host also recalled the night Cirella pushed Stern at a party where he met his wife, Beth Ostrosky, whom he married in 2008.
“He was the reason I met Beth,” Stern admitted.
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John Stamos also paid tribute to Cirella, taking to Instagram to pay tribute to their friendship in a lengthy caption.
“Ralph possessed an abundance of untapped potential, but struggled to find the motivation to fully realize it — a painful reality we all witnessed,” the actor wrote. “It serves as a poignant reminder of life’s unpredictability and the importance of not only pursuing your dreams, but seeing them through to the end.”
He continued: “It breaks my heart to think that Ralph is leaving this world alone, never having experienced the deep love he undeniably deserved. In our last conversation, I shared a story about someone who called me lucky. When I asked why, their answer was simple and profound: ‘Because you’re friends with Howard Stern’s Ralph.’ And they were absolutely right.”
The Full house The alum, 60, called Cirella “one of a kind” and shared the memories they made during their friendship, which dated back to the “old days” in the ’90s working on Stern’s Channel 9 show.
“Ralph was not just a friend; he was family,” the post read in part.
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