Francis Ford Coppola, 86, breaks silence after being hospitalized in Italy for secret heart condition
The 86-year-old filmmaker was admitted to Policlinico Tor Vergata, a public hospital in Rome, following a screening of his film Megalopolis in Calabria.
Late Tuesday night, Coppola took to Instagram to reassure fans, explaining that the hospital visit was for a scheduled procedure with Dr. Andrea Natale, a renowned heart specialist who has treated him for over three decades.
He posted a smiling photo of himself looking relaxed, along with a message that read: 'I am 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! I am well!,' he wrote.
Though not officially confirmed, reports pointed to a possible heart procedure tied to a mild cardiac arrhythmia — a detail that lines up with Coppola's mention of updating his long-standing AFib treatment.
Late Tuesday night, Coppola took to Instagram to reassure fans, explaining that the hospital visit was for a scheduled procedure with Dr. Andrea Natale, a renowned heart specialist who has treated him for over three decades
Coppola's summer in Italy was meant to be a creative reset — scouting locations for a new film and reconnecting with his roots.
The five-time Oscar winner, best known for reshaping modern cinema with The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now, has long had deep personal and creative ties to Italy.
His grandfather Agostino emigrated from Bernalda in the early 1900s, and Coppola has since become an honorary citizen of the Lucanian town, where he often spends his holidays and is working on revitalizing the area — including plans to transform an old building into a boutique hotel.
Coppola, who lost his wife Eleanor last spring, has remained active despite personal tragedy.
In July, he appeared as a guest of honor at the Magna Graecia Film Festival in Soverato, where he was warmly welcomed by a crowd of young fans.
'Young people tell me the world is a mess,' he told the audience at the time. 'But I tell them there's no problem that humanity can't solve. 'We must build a great new future, and do it together for the sake of our children. And tonight, we're taking a leap into the future.'
After decades as a Hollywood icon, Coppola recently took a bold creative gamble with Megalopolis, a self-financed $120 million sci-fi epic that premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
The long-gestating passion project was met with mixed — and at times baffled — reactions from critics and audiences alike.
But Coppola isn't done telling the story.
Megadoc, a behind-the-scenes documentary directed by Mike Figgis, is set to debut at the 2025 Venice Film Festival in late August, promising a deeper look at one of the most ambitious swings in modern film history.
A titan of cinema, Coppola's influence spans generations.
Born in Detroit to a flautist father, he spent most of his childhood in Queens, New York.
His first taste of success came with 1968's Finian's Rainbow, but it was The Godfather in 1974 that changed everything.
Ironically, he wasn't sold on the material at first.
The source novel by Mario Puzo struck him as 'cheap,' and the studio reportedly had other directors in mind.
'I was always on the verge of getting fired,' Coppola once admitted.
But the film, powered by career-defining performances from Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro, became one of the most influential and revered works in cinematic history.
Now, even amid health scares and artistic controversy, Coppola's vision — and voice — remains as fierce as ever.
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