Francis Ford Coppola Hospitalized, Undergoes Surgery

Francis Ford Coppola has been hospitalized in Rome on Tuesday.

The legendary filmmaker went in for a scheduled procedure with Dr. Andrea Natale, a renowned heart doctor who has treated Coppola for more than 30 years. 

A well-placed source said he is said to be resting nicely now, according to. 

Amid the flurry of reports about his health, Coppola took to Instagram on Tuesday evening to offer an update and confirm the procedure with Natale. 

“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!” posted Coppola to his nearly 500,000 followers. “I am well!”.

According to the American Heart Association, an “afib” procedure refers to atrial fibrillation, a treatment to help reset the heart’s rhythm using a small electrical shock or medication. There are surgical or nonsurgical options depending on the nature of the issue.

Coppola had just wrapped up a six city U.S. tour in support of his film Megalopolis in partnership with Live Nation. His final show, which included a screening of the self-financed pic and a Q&A, took place at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts on Friday night.

“I’m 85,” he told the audience, per SF Gate, 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.’”

It’s unclear at what point over the weekend he flew back to Italy, where he had spent time earlier this summer. 

He told local media that he spent time location scouting for a new project. “I’m here in Calabria to see some locations for a new project that’s very important to me,” he reportedly said. “A new film that will focus on the beautiful things of Calabria.”

Not much is known about the project but Coppola teased that it won’t be a mafia-based project like his iconic Godfather trilogy. “Calabria is a region very famous for its mafia, but that doesn’t interest me. My film instead will focus solely on the beautiful things about this region.”