Francis Ford Coppola has shared an update after he was hospitalized in Rome.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the legendary auteur underwent a scheduled procedure under renowned heart doctor Andrea Natale, who has treated Coppola for more than 30 years. Amid concerns about his health, Coppola reassured fans that he was doing well.
"Da Dada (what my kids call me) is fine, taking an opportunity while in Rome to do the update of my 30-year-old afib procedure with its inventor, a great Italian doctor — Dr. Andrea Natale!" he wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday. "I am well!"
A representative explained that the procedure "was not an emergency," according to Euro News.
"He went to the hospital in a car. He had a scheduled appointment," the representative said.
The American Heart Association explains that an "afib" procedure addresses atrial fibrillation by working to restore the heart's normal rhythm and can be done through medication or a brief electrical shock.
Coppola recently completed a six-city U.S. tour promoting his film "Megalopolis" in collaboration with Live Nation. The film, which premiered in September, 2024, began touring from late July through early August. The stops included Chicago, Denver, Dallas, New York, and New Jersey, before ending the journey in California, The Wrap reported.
The tour concluded Friday night at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, where audiences attended a screening of the self-financed film followed by a Q&A session.
"I'm 85," he told the audience, referencing his age, though he is now 86. "I lost my wife [Eleanor Coppola] a year ago, around this time. But my attitude for death is that I always lived my life so that when I was at the moment approaching death, I wouldn't say, 'Oh, I wish I had done this and I wish I had done that.' Instead, I say to myself, 'I got to do this.' "
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.