Denver Radio: Medical Issues Force Michael Floorwax Off-Air

Michael Floorwax, Rick Lewis

One of the stars of Denver morning radio announced on Wednesday that he will no longer be doing his show, according to CBS-TV4.

Michael Floorwax (real name Michael Steinke) told listeners through a statement read by his longtime Classic Rock KRFX 103.5 FM radio partner Rick Lewis that he is suffering from medical issues.

The popular Lewis & Floorwax team has been entertaining radio listeners during Denver’s morning drive for more than two decades, but Floorwax has been missing for the past 10 months or so. It hadn’t been clear why until now.

Rick Lewis reads the letter from Floorwax on air:


“I feel like I’m ready to talk about this and feel like you deserve to know,” he said in his statement.

“As you know if you’ve listened to the show at all for the past 24 years, I’ve struggled with certain medical issues. I’ve openly talked about it on the radio and I’ve made many jokes about my own medical issues that have plagued me for many years.”

He said some of his listeners have told him they struggle from similar medical conditions, although he wasn’t specific about what his is suffering from.

“Some of you may know that with these types of conditions doctors will experiment with different kinds of drugs to see what will work. Some work for a while, some don’t work at all, and others can actually make things worse. This past year has been the biggest battle of my life as I continue to seek relief.”

“Unfortunately I will not be coming back as I have to focus all my energy on my health and well being.”

Floorwax also said he wanted to dismiss rumors that had been floating around that he was struggling with substance abuse. “I did not fall off the wagon,” he said. “I have been clean and sober for 30 years and am proud of that.”

He also wanted to make it clear that his employer, Clear Channel, didn’t fire him.