Francis Ford Coppola admitted to Tor Vergata Hospital in Rome for heart surgery

ROME - Francis Ford Coppola has been admitted to Rome's Tor Vergata Hospital for scheduled heart surgery. According to reports from Il Fatto Quotidiano, the 86-year-old Italian-American director, who arrived at the hospital in the early afternoon of Tuesday, suffered a slight cardiac arrhythmia, for which he was placed under observation before the operation.

  After the news of his admission to Tor Vergata, the director reassured his fans on social media. In a post published last night, he explained that he was at the Tor Vergata Polyclinic to undergo atrial fibrillation ablation surgery with the leading expert in this technique, Professor Andrea Natale, who returned to Italy last year after a long career in the United States.

  ‘Dada (as my children call me) is fine,’ Coppola wrote during the night. ‘While I'm in Rome,’ added the 86-year-old director, ‘I'm taking the opportunity to update the procedure for atrial fibrillation after 30 years with its inventor, a great Italian doctor, Dr Andrea Natale! I'm fine!’ Coppola concluded. Many stars commented with relief at the news. Among the first was Sharon Stone, who wrote: ‘We love you, sweetheart.’

  The Oscar winner and creator of such masterpieces as The Godfather and Apocalypse Now was at the Magna Grecia Festival in Calabria in mid-July to present his latest film, Megalopolis.

rs