Darrell Ankarlo, the self-righteous host of KTAR's Ankarlo Mornings, whose lips have often been firmly attached to the rump of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, will no longer have a show on KTAR, the station announced at the end of the Ankarlo Mornings broadcast this morning.
Ankarlo has been absent from the program for more than a month -- with several guest hosts filling in -- so we assumed the station would eventually pull the plug.
Ankarlo was in a car accident about a year ago that left him with substantial brain damage, which was apparent during his brief comeback a few months ago.
After returning to the program, Ankarlo's speech was slurred, he was forgetful, and he would often only stay on the radio for two hours of his three-hour time slot.
According to KTAR producer Russ Hill, while the station regrets losing the morning man, his leaving allows him "to be able to devote all of his time to his recovery."
Hill didn't immediately respond to our e-mail asking who would be replacing Ankarlo.
KTAR will air a one-hour special at 11 a.m. Friday to remember Ankarlo's "impressive contribution" to KTAR and Arizona.