Francis Ford Coppola has recently been admitted to a hospital in Rome. The renowned director underwent a pre-planned procedure with Dr. Andrea Natale, an esteemed cardiologist who has been treating Coppola for over three decades. According to a reliable source, he is now comfortably resting. The Hollywood Reporter reached out to the filmmaker’s representative for further comments amidst the flurry of health-related reports.
Amidst the whirlwind of health reports, Coppola took to Instagram on Tuesday evening to provide an update and affirm his procedure with Natale. He posted to his nearly 500,000 followers, "Da Dada (as my children affectionately call me) is doing well. While in Rome, I seized the opportunity to undergo an updated version of my 30-year-old afib procedure with its innovator, the esteemed Italian doctor, Dr. Andrea Natale! I am in good health!"
As per the American Heart Association, an “afib” procedure pertains to atrial fibrillation, which involves resetting the heart’s rhythm through a minor electrical shock or medication. Depending on the severity of the issue, surgical or non-surgical options are available.
Coppola had just concluded a six-city U.S. tour promoting his film Megalopolis in collaboration with Live Nation. His final event, which featured a screening of the self-financed film and a question-and-answer session, took place at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts on Friday night. "I’m 85," he told the audience, although he is now 86, as quoted by SF Gate. "I lost my wife [Eleanor Coppola] a year ago around this time. But my attitude towards death is that I’ve always lived my life in such a way that when the moment of death approaches, I won’t regret saying, ‘Oh, I wish I had done this or that.’ Instead, I’ll tell myself, ‘I’ve done it all.’"
It remains uncertain when exactly he flew back to Italy over the weekend, where he had previously spent time earlier this summer. He told local media that he was scouting locations for a new project. "I’m here in Calabria to inspect some locations for a new project that’s very dear to me," he reportedly said. "A new film that will solely focus on the beautiful aspects of Calabria."
Not much is known about the project, but Coppola hinted that it won’t be centered around the mafia, unlike his iconic Godfather trilogy. "Calabria is renowned for its mafia, but that doesn’t intrigue me. My film will instead focus exclusively on the stunning facets of this region."
