Acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has publicly reassured fans about his health following a cardiac procedure in Rome. The 86-year-old director posted on social media, stating: “I’m fine! I’m taking advantage of my stay in Rome to update my atrial fibrillation procedure, which I had thirty years ago, with its inventor, a great Italian doctor: Dr. Andrea Natale.”
Coppola arrived in Italy yesterday morning and underwent an ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation at Policlinico Tor Vergata Hospital in Rome. The surgery was performed by the team led by Dr. Andrea Natale, a world-renowned cardiologist. Dr. Natale, considered a pioneer in electrophysiology and one of the first to develop the ablation technique for atrial fibrillation, recently returned to Italy after three decades in the United States. He now heads the Cardiology Department and the Cardiovascular Diseases Specialization School at Tor Vergata. Natale previously directed the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute and the Cardiac Electrophysiology Department at the Cleveland Clinic, where he notably operated on Silvio Berlusconi in 2006.
Atrial fibrillation, affecting an estimated 1-2% of the population, is the most common heart rhythm disorder. While not fatal itself, it causes an irregular heartbeat that can weaken the heart over time and increase the risk of blood clots, potentially leading to serious complications like stroke. Ablation aims to destroy cells causing abnormal electrical signals, effectively “rewiring” the heart to restore a regular rhythm. Recovery time for the director has not been disclosed, though patients typically resume daily activities within one to several days.
Following his discharge, Coppola is expected to travel to Basilicata, his grandfather’s homeland. He holds honorary citizenship from Bernalda, the town his grandfather emigrated from in the early 1900s. Coppola purchased an ancient palace there for conversion into a hotel as part of a regional revitalization project for the Metapontino area.
The Oscar-winning director of “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” spent part of the summer in Italy scouting locations for his upcoming film. In mid-July, he was a special guest at the Magna Graecia Film Festival preview in Soverato, Calabria, where he was greeted by crowds of young admirers.