The director was scheduled to undergo a long-planned surgery, but reportedly suffered atrial fibrillation before entering the operating room
Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola is “resting nicely” after he was taken to a hospital in Calabria, Italy, on Tuesday morning ahead of a previously planned procedure.
According to the Italian news outlet Repubblica.it (via Reuters), Coppola suffered atrial fibrillation, or an irregular heartbeat, before entering the operating room.
“Mr. Coppola went in for a scheduled update procedure with acclaimed Dr. Andrea Natale, his doctor of over 30 years, and is resting nicely,” a source close to Coppola tells Rolling Stone. “All is well and he appreciates everyone’s concern.”
Coppola was in town to present a screening of his film Megalopolis and had been staying in Italy this summer to scout locations for his next film.
Coppola released Megalopolis last year, after the film spent decades in development hell. He first attempted to produce the film in 1989 and then again in 2001 before finally getting to make the final version. The film was polarizing and bombed at the box office, making $14.3 million total, losing over $75 million.
Over the course of his long, storied career, Coppola has won five Oscars. Three of his statues were for just The Godfather Part II. He is the patriarch of the extensive Coppola family tree, with children Sofia and Roman going on to be filmmakers as well. Sofia won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for her film Lost in Translation, and her daughter Romy Mars has launched a successful social media and pop career. Coppola is also the uncle to actors Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman.
Last year, Coppola’s wife Eleanor died. She was 87. The two had been married since 1963.
www.rollingstone.com
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