Gary He/Associated Press

Rush Limbaugh, the pre-eminent conservative talk-radio host, will remain at a Honolulu hospital Thursday, the guest host of his show said.

Mr. Limbaugh was rushed to the hospital Wednesday afternoon after complaining of chest pains.

“Those pains were the kind of pains that makes one feel like he as a heart attack coming on, but it has not been confirmed that it is a heart attack,” Mr. Limbaugh’s guest host, Walter E. Williams, told listeners Thursday afternoon. “Today, Thursday, he’ll have a complete examination and we’ll know more. We’ll keep everyone informed when there’s information to share.”

Mr. Williams said “Rush continues to rest very comfortably in the hospital in Honolulu,” adding, “He had a comfortable night. He’s getting good medical attention.”

“The Rush Limbaugh Show” is being led by substitute hosts this week while Mr. Limbaugh is on vacation; he was scheduled to return on Monday, Jan. 4.

Rush Limbaugh’s Web site this morning confirmed that the talk show host had been taken to a hospital, saying in a posting:

Rush was admitted to a Honolulu hospital today and is resting comfortably after suffering chest pains. Rush appreciates your prayers and well wishes. He will keep you updated via RushLimbaugh.com and on Thursday’s radio program.

His syndicator, Premiere Radio Networks, had no further comment.

The statement was issued after a Honolulu television station, KITV, reported on Mr. Limbaugh’s hospitalization Wednesday.

The station said that paramedics responded to a call at 2:41 p.m. from the Kahala Hotel and Resort, and then took Mr. Limbaugh to the Queen’s Medical Center, where he was listed in serious condition.

A hospital spokesman, N. Makana Shook, would not not comment on the report when called by The New York Times Wednesday night, and Mr. Limbaugh’s associates could not be reached for comment.

The KITV report said that Mr. Limbaugh has been in the islands during the holidays, and had been seen golfing at a local country club next to the Kahala resort.

Mr. Limbaugh is the country’s leading purveyor of political talk radio, reaching millions of listeners on about 600 stations. “Limbaugh is a master of the airwaves,” Michael Harrison, the editor of the radio industry publication Talkers Magazine, said last year. “He is the best talent on the air in modern broadcasting.”